Pelicans’ Discussions With Teams Have ‘Implied’ Zion Williamson Is Available

While there have been some reporting to suggest the New Orleans Pelicans will not entertain trading Zion Williamson, but Brian Windhorst of ESPN suggests there have been a surprising level of discussions involving the All-Star.

“It’s surprising to me how out there it is in the league that the Pelicans are discussing Zion business,” said Windhorst on his podcast. “I want to be very careful about the word ‘offer’ because that word is a dangerous word. I’m not sure the Pelicans have ‘offered’ Zion to anybody, but every day that passes over the past five or six days, I hear different discussions the Pelicans have had that implies they are going to make Zion available. Him or Brandon Ingram. I wouldn’t rule out anything I guess, but the events of the last six months with Zion are what they are.”

The Pelicans have been strongly linked with interest in trading up for Scoot Henderson.

“It is extraordinarily out there about how much the Pelicans are interested in Scoot Henderson. To the point where I’m like, ‘How is this out there so hard unless the Pelicans want it out there?’

“So I’m nervous about giving that attention, but it is still there.”

While the Pelicans may be high on Henderson, there does appear to have been a change in how they view Williamson’s future with the franchise at this point.

“The Zion thing is there,” said Windhorst. “At the very least, it is very clear that the Pelicans’ thought on Zion Williamson’s future with the team is evolving. That’s putting it mildly.”

Williamson and the Pelicans haven’t been on the same page for much of his tenure with the team and that appears to be the case currently.

“There is no relationship between Zion and the organization,” added Windhorst. “And minimal relationship between Zion and his teammates, from what I understand.”