With the 2023 NBA Draft less than a week away, trade rumors have been reported left and right lately. And perhaps the most notable recent trade rumor pertains to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are reportedly interested in trading up in the draft for a top-3 pick in order to select guard prospect Scoot Henderson, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. The Charlotte Hornets own the second pick in the 2023 draft, and the Portland Trail Blazers own the third pick.

On Friday, ESPN published an article detailing five hypothetical Zion Williamson trades, and one of them has Williamson heading to the Charlotte Hornets along with a top-4 protected 2025 first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Gordon Hayward and the second overall pick in the draft. In order to better understand this trade from both the Hornets' and Pelicans' perspectives, let's grade the hypothetical blockbuster trade for each team. With all that said, here are grades for ESPN's hypothetical Pelicans-Hornets trade involving Zion Williamson and the second pick in the 2023 NBA Draft:

Grading ESPN's hypothetical Pelicans-Hornets trade involving Zion Williamson, No. 2 pick

Pelicans: A

It's hard to argue against this trade from the Pelicans' standpoint. If Zion Williamson is on the floor and healthy, he's one of the best players at his position in the NBA. But that's a huge if, as Williamson has simply not been able to stay on the court consistently ever since he joined the big leagues.

Williamson logged just 29 games during the 2022-23 regular season, and that's after missing the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign due to a foot injury. Plus, across his first four seasons in the league, Williamson has played more than 29 games in a season just once — he played in 61 games as a sophomore, his only relatively healthy year in the NBA.

The Pelicans should do all they can to convince the Hornets to trade the second pick in the draft for Williamson. At this stage in Williamson's career, it's hard to trust him to play more than 30 games in a season.

Hornets: C

It's understandable why the Hornets would want to take a gamble on Williamson. He's a tremendously talented player, and a small market team like Charlotte can't really acquire stars of Williamson's caliber by any other means, such as free agency. But the Hornets would be wise to instead hold onto their pick and draft a star in the making who's not injury prone in Scoot Henderson.

The 19-year-old Henderson starred in the G League for the G League Ignite during the 2022-23 season. He averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks, 3.4 turnovers, and 3.3 personal fouls per game across 19 appearances with the Ignite. Henderson's trademark skill is his athleticism.

Only time will tell if the Pelicans and Hornets decide to make a blockbuster trade in the 2023 NBA Draft involving the second overall pick and star forward Zion Williamson. But what's already clear is that ESPN's hypothetical Hornets-Pelicans trade would be a massive win for the New Orleans Pelicans and a questionable move for the Charlotte Hornets.