Zion Williamson has been a common name in trade rumors this offseason, and with his team making a big move on Tuesday, questions are sure to swirl regarding his future with the team.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Pelicans have traded CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. It’s a major shakeup for two teams which were near the bottom of the standings this past season.
What does this move of sending out McCollum for Poole mean regarding Williamson’s future in New Orleans? Well, one has to believe that trading an older veteran in McCollum for a younger piece in Poole means that the Pelicans’ current plan is to keep Williamson. Williamson, Poole, Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones all are 26 years old or younger, plus all are under contract through the 2026-27 season.
This appealing young core has strong upside if they can remain healthy and play up to their potential. The problem is that those are two massive “ifs” — Williamson and Poole have seen major inconsistency issues throughout their careers, and Williamson’s health is a huge problem nearly every season. The Duke product has the ability to make a major impact when healthy, but Williamson has never played in more than 70 games through the first six years of his career and has missed both of the Pelicans’ two playoff runs since he was drafted.
If Williamson is able to put together a mostly-healthy season in 2025-26, the Pelicans absolutely could make the playoffs with their current core. This appears to be the organization’s current hope following their acquisition of Poole. On DraftKings Sportsbook, New Orleans carries +25000 odds to win next year’s NBA title, making them a very long shot on the leaderboard.
