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NBA rumors suggest the New Orleans Pelicans could consider trading Zion Williamson to move up the draft order and pick a player of Scoot Henderson's caliber. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on these rumors saying the Pelicans are among teams looking to trade up ahead of next week's draft.
He stated that there wasn't any movement yet, but the Pels are giving serious thought to it, and it will likely need them to trade a superstar like Zion to make that happen. Here's what he said on ESPN's Get Up show:
"One team that has emerged that really would like to move up from their spot at 14th are the New Orleans Pelicans, potentially hunting a star-caliber player, maybe like a guy like Scoot Henderson.
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"The Pelicans have had some cursory discussions from what I've been told. There haven't been any offers made necessarily yet, but it makes you not really take too far of a leap to wonder... If the Pelicans are gonna make for the first time truly Zion Williamson available."
The New Orleans Pelicans have the 14th pick in the draft. They are a young team with tremendous upside but haven't been able to scale their potential. Zion Williamson's injury history has contributed to that.
The 2019 No. 1 pick has played 114 games since his debut. He missed the entire 2021-22 season when the Pels made the playoffs, played 24 games his debut season, 61 of 72 in his sophomore year and 29 last season.
Analyzing why Pelicans could make the bold move draft for Scoot Henderson in exchange for Zion Williamson
Scoot Henderson is considered another generational talent from some in the draft besides Victor Wembanyama. He has the potential to have an impact on a contender right away. Henderson took the G-League route instead of playing college ball after graduating high school. He would have a better feel for the NBA than most of his draft mates.
His work ethic and mentality are also up there, while his on-court ability as an explosive scorer is also something to consider. Meanwhile, Zion Williamson's NBA tenure hasn't panned out that well.
He is an MVP-caliber talent when healthy, but considering how often he has been injured in his first four years has put his ability to stay consistently available in question. Add to that the latest controversies surrounding Williamson's off-court life, which has made the headlines lately.
Zion Williamson has been accused by adult star Moriah Mills of cheating on his girlfriend, Ahkeema, who he's having a baby with. Mills claimed that she could be pregnant with Williamson's child too. She has attacked and slandered him on Twitter, which could lead to the former Duke prospect struggling more on the court.
The Pelicans have done all they could thus far to surround him with the necessary talent, but Zion Williamson hasn't delivered. They have another star in the ranks, Brandon Ingram. They also have veterans like CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas, who they could build around instead.
Adding a young star-caliber player like Scoot Henderson could elevate the Pelicans. They have done an excellent job developing through the draft since Willie Green's acquisition as head coach, so the blueprint is there for Henderson to succeed in NOLA.
