The New Orleans Pelicans find themselves at a crossroads this summer. They were once considered an up-and-coming contender in the Western Conference, but injuries have derailed those hopes.
Injury after injury, including to superstar Zion Williamson, has apparently forced the Pelicans to change course, with them firing their GM and replacing him with Joe Dumars. He reportedly has the mandate to trade Williamson this summer, which could lead to the end of the Williamson era.
He was drafted back in 2019, and many saw him as a future top 10 player in the NBA. When he's been healthy, he has been among the most efficient stars in the league, but he has only played less than half of his available career games.
That puts the Pelicans in a tough spot. They could give Zion another chance to prove himself capable of staying healthy and being a franchise star. However, the new GM appears ready to trade him, and finding a deal will be extremely tough, but not impossible.
They are probably unlikely to get top dollar for Zion, given his injury history, and trading him this summer also presents the Pelicans with challenges. After all, the Milwaukee Bucks will likely be shopping superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, as will the Phoenix Suns with Kevin Durant.
With both stars expected to become available, Zion would be third in the pecking order in a potential sweepstakes that could take weeks to resolve itself. Meanwhile, Durant could be the consolation prize for teams that didn't land Giannis. If there is a bidding war for those two players, Zion might be overlooked.
Big trades tend to take time to materialize with haggling back and forth between multiple teams. That could theoretically force the Pelicans to wait until mid-July or even August to trade Zion. It could lead to a worse return, with two potential Zion suitors having landed a superstar.
Instead, the Pelicans could take another approach and try to move him around the NBA Draft, which is set to take place on June 25th. That would allow teams to trade picks in this year's draft for any potential deal for Zion and keep New Orleans from being forced to wait to see how the Giannis and Durant trade sagas unfold.
That leads us to five potential deals that the Pelicans must consider this summer. As far as potential trade packages, they probably aren't getting a young star in return for their best player.
They also aren't likely to receive more than two or three first-round picks in exchange for Zion unless they are willing to receive bad contracts in return. Considering that the Pelicans may be facing a long rebuild, that's something they may be willing to do.
Therefore, let's take a closer look at potential trades that the Pelicans must explore to be able to start a rebuild post-Zion. First up, we will start with a team on the verge of contending but in need of more star power to help them get there. Stay tuned.