New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has gone from a popular trade candidate to an under-the-radar one.
The New Orleans Pelicans were again the talk of the trade market this offseason, but this time it was for a different player. Everyone came after star forward Trey Murphy as opposed to
These days, Williamson's trade market is brought up much less often. Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz recently listed Henderson as a "trade candidate that no one is talking about."
There is a reason that no one is talking about trading Williamson, though. Because the Pelicans' front office isn't. Joe Dumars has stated that they'll listen to whatever deals come across their desk, but they had no plans on moving him. Someone would have to make a deal that New Orleans couldn't say no to, and no one is rushing to make that sort of offer for Williamson anymore.
Dumars is content to see if Williamson and Derik Queen work together before making any final decisions. The early results were great, but the team wants the pair to have more time to work it out before giving up.
The Pelicans will potentially revisit the idea of trading Williamson at the deadline if things are going their way, and certainly in the offseason if they miss the playoffs again.
There is a world where Williamson comes out and has a healthy year, but the team still can't win games, so they decide to blow it up anyway. That's the most likely scenario where he gets moved, but it is still a long shot.
If there were a trade candidate on the team that "nobody is talking about," it would be Herb Jones. Jones is someone who was floated as a potential trade piece before they signed Bennedict Mathurin, but now they have yet another mouth to feed on the wing.
Jones isn't someone who should be considered a favorite to be moved, but he is slightly more expendable than Williamson or Murphy while also being highly sought after. If the Pelicans do stumble out of the gate and don't look to be heading to the playoffs at the deadline, then Jones could certainly be flipped to a contender.
That's the case with most of this team right now. Before New Orleans blows anything up, they'll see how things play out this season. It feels like it is said every offseason, but this might actually be the core's final chance to win together.
