With the 2023 NBA Draft quickly approaching on June 22 and the NBA Finals over, the NBA world has fully tuned into trade speculation and potential draft picks. One of the main speculative discussions coming to the surface is a rumor surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans and their potential interest in trading Zion Williamson. Amid off the court drama and another season where he missed most of it due to injury, Zion Williamson might be wearing out his welcome with the Pelicans; in turn, many believe the Pelicans are shopping Williamson in order to move up in the NBA Draft, specifically for a chance at drafting Scoot Henderson. Henderson would work well on the Pelicans alongside Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, so a trade would not be that out of the question. If the rumors are true, the Portland Trailblazers need to get in contact with New Orleans as soon as possible; a pairing of Zion Williamson and Damian Lillard would be absolutely deadly for the Blazers.

Damian Lillard has been embroiled in trade rumors all NBA offseason as well, and he has been for many seasons. Albeit being the talk of trade speculation often, this year it is a little different given the fact that Lillard himself has made it known that he wants to be traded if the Blazers do not commit to winning. If the Blazers commit to a rebuild, Lillard has said that it will be time for him to move on despite promising to stay loyal to Rip City. No one could blame him, as Dame Dolla has been one of the best point guards in the NBA over the past decade and he deserves to play for a competitive team. However, the Blazers could easily remain competitive if they are able to land Zion Williamson in a trade. Williamson and Lillard would strike fear in opponents and immediately make the Blazers contenders. In particular, there are two reasons why the Blazers must offer their No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, among other assets, to the Pelicans in exchange for Zion Williamson.

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Floor Spacing

Zion Williamson might be arguably the hardest player to guard in the NBA. His sheer strength and size would be a mismatch nightmare for someone without the ball skills he has; with his skillset, it is basically a given that Zion is going to dominate physically and not be able to be neutralized because of what he can do for his teammates. This would open up the floor immensely for Damian Lillard for essentially the first time in his career. Besides Stephen Curry, no one gets honed in on in the NBA like Damian Lillard, as teams literally force him to get rid of the ball. With Zion on the floor that would not be possible, as giving too much focus to Lillard would give Williamson too much open space to act and allow him to essentially dominate the paint.

Not only is he a dominant physical presence, but Williamson is a very smart basketball player. He is not selfish with the ball and time and again has made the right basketball play when he has been on the floor. This is the perfect type of player to pair with Damian Lillard because Lillard is so ball-dominant. Of course Lillard has no problem making plays for his teammates, but he is pretty much the best scorer on the floor at all times and should have the ball in his hands to make decisions. With Zion's ease in playing off of the ball, the entire floor would open up for Lillard and he would be facing way less double-teams and traps. If the Blazers want to open up the floor for Damian Lillard, they need to talk to the Pelicans about trading for Zion Williamson.

Keep Damian Lillard forever

Trading for Zion Williamson would not only cement to Damian Lillard that the Blazers want to win with him; it would cement to Damian Lillard that they want him to be in Portland forever. Zion is only 22-years-old despite being in the NBA for four seasons already. His inability to stay on the floor is concerning, but he has plenty of time to figure out how to neutralize his injuries. If he is able to in Portland, he would become the cornerstone of their franchise for years to come with plenty of development left in his game. He would easily be a star for the Blazers for the duration of the rest of Damian Lillard's career, and Lillard would have no reason to look to play elsewhere knowing he can play alongside a continually evolving Zion Williamson. Keeping Damian Lillard with the Blazers for his entire career would be a lot easier if Portland did a trade for Zion Williamson.

Of course, there is no certainty that the Pelicans actually do want to trade Zion Williamson and it could all be a smoke screen. When Zion has been on the floor he has been absolutely dominant, so the Pelicans might not be ready to give up on that just yet. Still, the Pelicans have enough pieces to be a contender without him, especially with the assets that they would receive by trading him. The Blazers will not be a contender without a star like Zion, so a trade for him makes a lot more sense than the Pelicans keeping him. As the 2023 NBA Draft gets closer, the Blazers should pick up the phones and inquire the Pelicans about trading for Zion Williamson in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick.