2) NBA Trades: Utah Jazz land Zion Williamson in potential blockbuster
The Utah Jazz find themselves in a unique situation. Despite being one of the worst teams in the NBA, they have an incentive to try and win now. They have a 27-year-old All-Star in Lauri Markkanen that they should try to build around sooner rather than later.
That could force the Jazz to make a move to try and accelerate their rebuild, and Williamson would be the perfect trade target. After all, he is under contract for at least the next three seasons and would be relatively affordable compared to other options.
Utah isn't a destination for stars, but with him under contract, he wouldn't have much of a choice. He also wouldn't have many of the distractions he has in New Orleans, which could hopefully help him focus more on basketball and his conditioning.
The Jazz could offer up John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, a 2025 first-round pick, which is currently projected to be 21st overall, and another first-round pick for Zion. This trade could benefit both teams, as the Jazz already have a starting center in Walker Kessler. They could also move Markkanen down to small forward, with Zion playing at the four.
They would have enough shooters surrounding him and a rim protector in Kessler to help cover Zion defensively. Considering that they still have plenty of assets from the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades, they can afford to offer up multiple first-round picks to make a trade for a star such as Williamson.
The Jazz could acquire him, hoping that he will pan out in a different environment. If he does, then he would be a major steal for the Jazz, giving them their best player in years and someone that normally wouldn't end up in Utah.
Depending on where the Jazz are selecting in this year's NBA draft, they could even pair Zion with a top prospect such as Dylan Harper. That would give him another talented young player to pair him with and further increase the Jazz's need to try and speed up their rebuild. After all, they can't afford another five seasons of development, given that their best player is already in his late 20s.
As a result, they could pursue Zion, given that he is still under the age of 25, and it would allow them to take a dual-track approach. They could still build for the long term with their lottery pick in this year's draft while trying to contend in the more immediate future with Markkanen and another star.
Ultimately, the Pelicans could ship Zion to the Jazz, considering their wealth of draft picks and expiring contracts. That would give the Pelicans flexibility as it looks to rebuild and move into a new era. It may not be a jaw-dropping return for a star of his caliber, but there are injury concerns that hamper his value.
New Orleans isn't receiving four first-round picks for Williamson. Instead, acquiring the first pick and two flipable players, Collins and Clarkson, would be a reasonable move.