The New Orleans Pelicans have had quite the interesting offseason, trading CJ McCollum and bringing back Jordan Poole, as well as trading a potentially highly valuable 2026 first round pick in order to draft Derik Queen. Making that move even more puzzling is the fact that Queen plays the same position and has many of the same strengths and weaknesses as Zion Williamson, who was once thought to be the franchise cornerstone but has proven unavailable to stay on the floor.
However, one possibility is that Williamson gets traded at some point in the near future, which would open up the door for Queen to fill that role. In fact, ESPN recently voted Williamson as the number one star in the NBA most likely to request a trade this year.
“If Williamson can have a strong start to the season — and avoid the injury bug that has plagued his career — it's feasible that he could seek a fresh start instead of remaining with a New Orleans franchise that seems stuck in neutral,” wrote NBA insider Tim McMahon on ESPN.com.
He also added that “Williamson's stay in New Orleans might have been extended by the Pelicans' front office change, with Joe Dumars replacing David Griffin as the primary decision-maker.”
A new era in New Orleans?
Indeed, the Pelicans brought in Joe Dumars this year to be the team's new decision-maker and Dumars wasted no time in stirring up controversy, primarily with the 2026 draft pick he gave up to draft Queen. That choice means that the more favorable of either the Pelicans' or the Milwaukee Bucks' 2026 pick will be headed to the Atlanta Hawks.
When healthy, Williamson remains one of the toughest covers in the NBA, but fans in New Orleans have all but given up on the hopes of ever seeing Williamson put together a full season of consistent basketball.
If he were to request a trade, it would certainly be interesting to see what the market looks like for Williamson at this stage of his career.
The Pelicans are slated to kick off their 2025-26 season on October 22 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
