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In the (seemingly rare) event that Zion Williamson is made available for trade by the New Orleans Pelicans, there will be a mad scramble among teams to trade for him. It would take a lot to get Williamson, as has proven to be an All-Star when healthy. The San Antonio Spurs should be among those teams.
If the Spurs make an honest run at Williamson, they could be one of the favorites to land him. They have three first-round picks in the 2022 draft and many more in the future they can trade New Orleans. San Antonio also has some solid players like Keldon Johnson, Jakob Poeltl and Devin Vassell that could interest the Pelicans.
The Spurs should do everything in their power, aside from trading Dejounte Murray, to land Williamson.
3 reasons Spurs must trade for Zion Williamson this offseason
He will likely be the best young star available
The Spurs are on the path to rebuilding and need to find young guys who they can build around for the future. Although the Pelicans have not made Williamson available right now and have made no inclinations that they will, his future with the team seems pretty shaky.
Trading for young stars is a very good way to rebuild with a solid idea of where the team can end up. Draft picks don't always yield good players. Getting a proven commodity will allow the Spurs to retool with a clearer window. It'll speed up their window to contend.
Because few young stars could be on the market this offseason, Williamson is the cream of the crop. Even if other teams were open to moving their young All-Stars, the burly forward would stand out because of his astounding scoring efficiency.
The Spurs can get the most of his potential
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San Antonio is notorious for developing young players. Williamson, even with his injuries, should be one of their easiest development projects. Although Gregg Popovich is expected to retire after this season, the infrastructure that has found nearly every player's potential is still in place.
Although Williamson may need to work a lot on his weight, there is no denying that he is one of the most unique forces in the game. His unreal athleticism speaks for itself but his ability to read the floor is still an area of his name with untapped potential. His defense has been an issue but there is reason to believe he can be impactful on that end eventually.
In his lone, full NBA season, he was eight in the league in scoring and was one of the most efficient scorers. He averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and shot an absurd 61.1 percent from the field. Health will seemingly always be uncertain for Williamson but his talent will never be. The Spurs have created good players out of decent prospects. Imagine what they could do with a historically great one.
San Antonio needs stars
The league is driven by star power. It's the most obvious way to compete for championships. Williamson is not only a star who can help compete for a title but lead the push. His brilliance at such a young age is obviously overshadowed by his injury history and weird ordeal with the Pelicans but his abilities are nearly unmatched when healthy.
The Spurs already have one young star in Murray. His all-around impact, especially on the defensive end makes him a very valuable player. With Williamson, he would have a fantastic pick-and-roll partner and reliable lead scorer.
The uncertainty of what the franchise will get with its draft picks doesn't compare to the uncertainty with Williamson. Yes, he has severe injury problems. But by making that roadblock easier to get around — getting rid of it seems unlikely — San Antonio could enter the remainder of the 2020s with a fearsome young duo. The odds that they can land another youngster as good as Williamson are slim.
