Trae Young was the first All-Star to be dealt this season, and he probably won’t be the last. The New Orleans Pelicans seem like another candidate to move their franchise star to start again with younger talent.
According to Fansided’s Eamon Cassels, the Pelicans should cut ties with two-time All-Star Zion Williamson and start rebuilding around the duo of Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears.
“Another player who might already be fully in Trae territory is Zion Williamson…Nevertheless, when Zion is on the court, he's dominant, and his upside is still tantalizing. As such, it's not crazy to imagine a team talking themselves into being able to rehabilitate Williamson. The idea of a powerful 6-foot-6 forward is simply hard for teams to fully give up on. For the Pelicans, though, it's time to focus on building around rookies Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, ” Cassels wrote.
So far this season, Williamson is averaging 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game for the Pelicans. However, in his seven years in the NBA, he’s never had a fully healthy season, and he’s never played more than 70 games in one season.
MORE: Wizards get massive update from NBA insider regarding possible Trae Young blockbuster trade
With that in mind, a team that likes what they see with Williamson and believes they can keep him healthy might be eager to trade for him. If New Orleans could move him at the deadline for assets or rising stars, it would be a huge win.
Williamson has been a franchise star for New Orleans, but he simply hasn’t been there for his team. Hopefully, the Pelicans realize that and get to work on shopping him around.
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