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The situation in New Orleans between the Pelicans and Zion Williamson is shrouded in mystery, and you can bet Miami Heat president Pat Riley is keeping an eye on it.
The Pelicans' superstar youngster has not played a game this season after offseason foot surgery and could wind up sitting out all season. There are also plenty of rumors flying around about his commitment to New Orleans. Zion infamously did not reach out to new teammate CJ McCollum initially, which prompted former Pelicans guard JJ Redick to call him a “detached teammate.”
While there has been some damage control done over the past week, we cannot rule out a trade in the near future. Given Riley's obsessive push with getting stars, here are two reasons the Heat must go after Zion Williamson.
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Heat Zion Williamson Trade Breakdown
Diversifying the offense
Zion Williamson is an inside beast. He is super athletic and can throw his weight around. Due to this, many teams in the NBA would love to get their hands on the current Pelicans forward. One team that could really use his help inside is the Miami Heat. This is a perimeter team, as evidenced by their seventh place in the NBA in 3-point attempts and No. 3 spot in 3-point percentage, per Basketball Reference.
However, the Heat have substantial issues getting easy points in the paint, even with a great player in Bam Adebayo who just seems to get better every year. Williamson could be the inside threat needed to make this Heat offense truly unstoppable.
Of course, teams can still win the championship playing perimeter basketball. In 2015, the Golden State Warriors seemingly shot their way toward the title, but that is without further context. They had incredible defense and all of the attention being on the perimeter allowed the Warriors to still have some slashing inside threats. That year, the Warriors were 11th in the NBA in paint scoring, while the Heat are currently 27th. Obviously, 11th is not ideal, but it is much better than being the fourth-worst team in the league.
With Williamson, however, Miami's offense would become so much better, especially in half-court situations. It is still good right now, holding the seventh place in offensive rating, but it would be truly elite if the Heat could get a guy who, in his only full season for the Pelicans, averaged 27 points per game, mostly from the paint. He would draw a ton of attention to the middle, which would give Miami's shooters a bevy of open looks.
One more way that Zion Williamson would improve the roster is through his point-forward skills. Of course, the main playmaker of this squad is Kyle Lowry, who was brought in this past offseason. Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo are also strong facilitators. Bringing in Zion would only add another terrific playmaker to the fold, further diversifying the offense.
This is the prime chance to get him
Looking at the contract situation for the Heat, this seems like the only relevant chance for the squad to get Zion Williamson in the foreseeable future. Right now, Miami is committed to spending $131 million next season. That is already $10 million over the projected cap for the 2022-23 season. Most of that money is tied up in four players: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson. After this season, they will also have the opportunity to extend Tyler Herro. Should they not get him this year, the Zion window might be closed for the Heat, especially if another team swoops in and gets him.
Of course, one of these players would likely be included in any hypothetical package for the former Duke superstar. The Heat would likely have to give up at least a pair of their key players while adding a few picks in the future. However, even if, for instance, Herro were to be dealt together with Robinson, the looming extension for Zion Williamson in the summer of 2023 would likely add another max or near-max deal to the table.
If the Heat do not go for Zion Williamson this year, should he become available obviously, they might surrender the chance to get him in the future. Due to the nature of the situation, Williamson will not be traded for unless there are guarantees that he is signing there for the long haul. Thus, giving up on the pursuit of an available Zion Williamson in 2022 could result in missing out on him for years to come.
The Heat have the contracts to match, they have the young players to compete with any package out there, and they have a necessity for a player like Zion Williamson. If he is available and not in a Heat jersey by the start of the 2022-23 season, it will be a big mistake by Miami's leadership. It is worth mentioning that this front office and this leadership do not make mistakes often and do not make mistakes of this magnitude ever.
