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The newest NBA drama seems to be brewing with the New Orleans Pelicans. As the memories of the Anthony Davis situation still remain fresh in the minds of Pelicans fans, they might be going through a similar ordeal with Zion Williamson.
Zion is still out due to mysterious foot injuries and he has been recently called out by former teammate JJ Redick for not reaching out to new Pelicans guard CJ McCollum. Even though Zion did reach out afterward, the team might be forced to cut its losses and trade away the young star. If a trade does come up, one of the teams that need to be right in there is the Washington Wizards.
Wizards Zion Williamson Trade Breakdown
Cashing in on prospects before they lose value
The fact of the matter is that the Wizards had two lottery selections in the last few years and both did not turn out very well. In the 2019 and 2020 NBA Drafts, the Wizards took Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija, respectively, both with the ninth overall pick. But while Hachimura had two solid seasons for the Wizards, he massively slowed down this year and there are doubts on whether he will ever fulfill his potential. Avdija is still young, but the Wizards have a 28-year-old star in Bradley Beal who needs immediate help. That is where Zion comes in.
Of course, the cost of Zion will be much more than just these two prospects. The Wizards would likely need to include at least one more player and a first round pick to get the high-flying superstar out of the Pelicans. Hachimura and Avdija being on the roster are more detrimental to the Wizards' effort than dealing them away. Of course, it would be untrue to say they are hurting the Wizards, but they are future prospects on a win-now team, so they are underutilized in that sense.
One more thing to consider is that there are no indications of huge players being available in the near future, other than Zion. Granted, even his availability is based on speculation, but he is the closest thing to being available right now. If the Wizards do not go for the former Duke standout, they are essentially going to waste Hachimura and Avdija who can be used in a trade to bolster the team around Beal.
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However, that is not even the biggest concern the Wizards have about their two youngsters. The absolute biggest concern is their dwindling value. Hachimura hurt a ton of his future trade stock by taking a personal leave and hurt it even more by massively underperforming, averaging just 8.9 points in a shade under 19 minutes per game this year. His recent injury doesn't help as well. Avdija, on the other hand, made a very minor step forward this year and the NBA is generally not known for patience for players, so he might be out of the league by the end of his first contract. The time for cashing in on these two prospects is now.
Making the move from fringe playoff team to dark horse contender
The Wizards are really not a stable playoff team. They took the NBA by storm at the start of the season with a 10-3 record, but that was short-lived. They are now 27-33 and just 11th in the Eastern Conference, meaning that they will need to fight for their place in the play-in tournament. However, if they were to get Zion, the franchise could really turn it around. They already have a star in Beal and despite the season being underwhelming for the All-Star guard, who is already out for the remaining of the campaign, he is still an amazing player.
But as some have shown in the league in the past, one amazing player does not mean much in modern basketball. The Wizards did pair Beal with both John Wall and Russell Westbrook in the past, but while that had some limited postseason success, they need a completely different player. That player could be Zion Williamson, whose style could work great with Beal. They would be a guard-forward combination and rather than putting another ball-dominant guard next to Beal, the Wizards would get him space to operate by bringing in Zion, who likes to operate in the paint.
Of course, the Wizards also added Kristaps Porzingis, who could be that link-up player that benefits both Beal and Zion, should he be traded to the Wizards. Porzingis can play in the middle but he can also shoot from the outside. By creating this trio, the Wizards could cash in on Beal's rising facilitation and ball distribution skills, Zion's ability to garner opposing defense's attention in the middle, and Porzingis' unique offensive skillset.
With the squad as is, even with Beal and Porzingis healthy, the Wizards are simply not a playoff team. At least not yet. But if they can bring in Zion Williamson, he could be that key piece that propels the squad to the top of the Eastern Conference, possibly even to title contention.
