It's hard to argue that the New Orleans Pelicans haven't had a rough offseason thus far. They made arguably the worst move of the summer, giving up an unprotected first-round pick in 2026, despite them being expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA.
That is only the beginning of their problems. Star Zion Williamson has increasingly become an albatross to the Pelicans. He has missed 268 games in the first six seasons of his NBA career, the equivalent of three-plus years collecting DNPs.
Even discounting the injuries, which at this point is impossible to do, the increasing concern about his off-the-court activities is a big question mark. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently confirmed as much. Whether those issues will negatively affect his career is unclear, but it shows that he may not be ready to be a franchise player.
The New Orleans Pelicans may be stuck with Zion Williamson
Despite concerns about his health and increasing concerns about his off-the-court activities, the Pelicans have yet to seriously try and move Zion. That may not be because they have faith in him.
Instead, it may have a lot to do with his trade value being incredibly low. He played impressively well last season after coming back from a hamstring injury, and the Pelicans may be hoping that he can play similarly well to start next season.
That would hopefully raise his trade value enough for him to fetch more at the trade deadline. Or, better yet, turn the corner so that he can be relied upon. Between those two options, neither appears all that likely.
The Pelicans are only as loyal to Zion Williamson as their options
Even if he were to play the majority of the Pelicans' games prior to the trade deadline and make the All-Star team, that probably won't get teams to offer their potential offer.
Few teams can justify trading a huge haul for a player whose injury track record is the way that it is. Of course, if he were to hold up over all of next season, then the Pelicans might not trade him, but it would take time for him to prove that he can stay healthy.
That puts New Orleans in a tough spot. Their franchise is built around a player that isn't valuable enough to trade and not reliable enough to keep. Left with those options, the only thing they can do is hope one of those things changes and that their wild offseason swings don't miss.