The Washington Wizards already bought low on polarizing point guard Trae Young, so could they do the same with oft-injured New Orleans big man Zion Williamson? It appears to be a possibility.
Since acquiring Young, a 27-year-old, four-time All-Star whose effort, playstyle, and impact have long been questioned, for the relatively low price of Corey Kispert and C.J. McCollum, the Wizards have become a popular candidate to pull off similar deals for other talented but otherwise inconsistent players. In addition to his fellow 2019 draftee and former AAU teammate Ja Morant, Williamson is among the top names for that kind of trade.
Williamson, a former No. 1 overall draft pick, has struggled with injuries, his weight, and off-court distractions throughout his NBA career, which has seemingly put him on the trade block for the better part of a few years, although the New Orleans Pelicans, who hoped he could replace Anthony Davis's impact when they drafted him, have been reluctant to ship Williamson out yet.
But if they do so, the Wizards may be in the mix, according to The Athletic's Josh Robbins.
“With the Young trade as the template of a low-cost trade for a distressed asset, league sources speculated that New Orleans Pelicans big man Zion Williamson would be someone the Wizards would have to consider if the price is right,” Robbins wrote.
“The Pelicans reportedly have told teams they’re not going to trade Williamson, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Derik Queen or Jeremiah Fears. As it pertains to Williamson only, however, league sources expressed skepticism to The Athletic about that report.
“League sources said they cannot envision any scenario in which Washington would give up one of its own future first-round picks. But one source speculated that a pick owed to the Wizards, such as the least favorable of the Houston Rockets’ (top-four protected), LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2026 first-round picks, might satisfy the Pelicans’ goals.”
Robbins did say that Washington pulling off a trade for Williamson “appears to be an extreme long shot,” but he said that he mentioned it in his article because “it was mentioned as a possibility by enough league sources.”
At 10-32, the Wizards are heading to the lottery once again, but they have shown the willingness to trade for imperfect players. In addition to Young, Washington previously acquired Jordan Poole, a streaky scoring guard who found himself on the wrong end of a Draymond Green punch before his final season with the Golden State Warriors. With the Wizards, Poole set career-highs in minutes, points, assists, steals, and 3-point percentage before they coincidentally traded him to the Pelicans this past offseason in a three-team deal that netted Washington McCollum, Cam Whitmore, Kelly Olynyk, and a second-round draft pick.
Williamson, 25, is in the third season of a five-year, $197.2 million contract, although due to various clauses, including weight checks and a minimum for games played, the final two years of his deal (worth $87 million) could be non-guaranteed.
