NBA rumors: Will Zion Williamson's agent push for trade before deadline?
12/31/2024 12:21 PM
The New Orleans Pelicans have had a disaster of a season. Injuries to nearly all of their top players have caused the 2024-25 campaign to spiral out of control quicker than anybody could have imagined, and now it’s time for the front office and the team to pick up the pieces and figure out the best way forward.
The Pelicans are currently sitting at 5-28 and have been one of the worst teams in the NBA all season long. Brandon Ingram has been injured, Zion Williamson has been injured, and CJ McCollum, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III have all missed time among others. Now, other teams are looking at some of the Pelicans’ top players as potential trade targets.
Ingram is the most logical target because he is in the prime years of his career and is on an expiring contract. He and the team have been unable to come to terms on an extension, so he could be elsewhere sooner rather than later. However, speculation has begun that Ingram may not be the only Pelicans star on the move. Due to Williamson’s injury history and the state of the team, buzz has started around a possible trade for the former No. 1 overall pick.
Despite the noise, Williamson’s agent Bill Duffy isn’t expected to try to force a trade before the deadline this season, according to Tim McMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN.
“Williamson changed representation after suffering the latest injury, hiring WME’s Bill Duffy, a longtime agent who also represents stars such as Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards and Chet Holmgren,” McMahon and Marks wrote. “Sources told ESPN that Duffy has no intention to push for the Pelicans to trade Williamson before the deadline.”
Zion Williamson nearing return for Pelicans
Barring a historic winning streak, the Pelicans are already out of playoff contention not even halfway through the season. However, Williamson is inching closer to a return from his hamstring injury.
Williamson’s play when he returns may not be that important in the grand scheme of this season for the Pelicans or the league as a whole due to their place in the standings, but it will still be a crucial pivot point for the former Duke star in his career.
Simply put, Williamson needs to play at a high level and stay healthy for the rest of the season in order to inspire confidence in the Pelicans, and any other teams that may be interested in pursuing him, that he can stay on the floor. Williamson has dealt with multiple hamstring injuries during his career, and all of them have kept him out for an extended period of time. That is a major cause for concern for any team that is trying to trade for Williamson, and it’s not a great sign for the Pelicans either.
If Williamson can prove that he can stay healthy for three months and play good basketball, his value across the league would increase dramatically.
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