New Orleans Pelicans: Zion trade demand watch is underway

The New Orleans Pelicans shouldn’t be surprised if Zion Williamson demands a trade soon.

No Lonzo Ball. No Kyle Lowry. No Chris Paul. No Mike Conley. No DeMar DeRozan. No Tim Hardaway Jr. No splash moves, nor any significant improvements to the roster. Instead, what the New Orleans Pelicans now have on their hands is a big problem.

As the NBA’s free agency period begins to settle, the Pelicans, who entered as a team that many believed was looking to make a big splash, are currently sitting empty-handed. The biggest move that the team has made was acquiring Devonte’ Graham from the Charlotte Hornets.

Other than that, however, the Pelicans have whiffed on every other target.

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The team’s lack of improvement this offseason could lead to even bigger issues for the franchise – the “big problem” that was eluded to earlier in this article. That includes a potential Zion Williamson trade demand.

Heading into his third season in the league, Zion has watched his first two years with the Pelicans go to waste. Coming off a season in which he was dominant in almost every facet of the game, Zion is a proven difference-maker.

Zion, in just his second season in the league, averaged 27 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game on 61 percent shooting from the field. In an offseason where the Pelicans needed to make a statement that they were ready to surround Zion (and Brandon Ingram) with the necessary pieces to help this team take a step forward, they have fallen flat on their faces.

Will Zion be forced to impose his power on the New Orleans Pelicans?

There have been whispers that Zion may not be happy with how New Orleans has handled his first two seasons with the team.

The Pelicans have totally mangled the last two years and are fully on course to lose Zion some day, agent John Koktostin of @CAA tells @ringer.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) August 3, 2021

While those can be taken with a grain of salt – we don’t want to put words in Zion’s mouth – there has to be at least some concern regarding his future with the team. Even though it would be highly ulikely for him not to re-sign a max extension when the team offers it – it’s rare when players coming off their rookie contract don’t – I wouldn’t put anything past Zion.

He has the potential to be a generational talent and needs to do whatever he can to find the best position for himself. And if he doesn’t feel like New Orleans is that place, you can bet that, especially in the player empowerment movement, that he’s going to do what he can to change that.

Short of the Pelicans making a splash move via trade – or maybe they’re the team that really, really likes Dennis Schroder – the team should be ready for what appears to be the inevitable. And that’s a Zion Williamson trade demand.