The New Orleans Pelicans have likely considered how to move on from Zion Williamson for a while.
This might be the year it finally happens.
CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn has predicted in a new column that in 2026, the Pelicans will finally waive Williamson.
"New Orleans can't justify paying a max salary for someone who's rarely healthy enough to contribute," Quinn writes. "He and (Derik) Queen can't coexist defensively, so New Orleans needs to start exploring ways of using the money earmarked for Williamson to get a rim-protector in the building. The Pelicans will explore the trade market, sure, but when they find that any deal involving meaningful assets also comes with toxic salary, they'll determine that their best course is simply to waive Williamson."
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Quinn doesn't stop there.
He also predicts that after hitting free agency, Williamson will sign with the Chicago Bulls.
"Would it be a great basketball fit? No," Quinn writes. "Williamson needs the ball. So does (Josh) Giddey. It's not clear if Williamson can even play at the breakneck pace Chicago prefers anymore, and the Bulls need rim-protection more than rim-gravity. But the Bulls do need to take a talent swing at some point, and they love selling tickets. Williamson makes sense on both counts and will be gettable without making a major long-term bet. That's good enough for the Bulls."
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The Bulls seem to find themselves permanently in contention for the play-in tournament. To make a move up the Eastern Conference standings, they need to try something.
Williamson may not be the answer. But he's the closest thing to a readily available answer that could become acquirable by the Bulls.
It'd be worth a shot for Chicago if New Orleans does indeed create the opportunity.
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