NBA Trade Rumors: Are the New York Knicks preparing to make a big move for Zion Williamson?
Looking around at the NBA landscape, you can make a very strong argument that the New York Knicks are one of the emerging teams that remains a superstar addition away from being a true championship contender in the Eastern Conference.
The challenge for the Knicks is whether or not they can identify the right superstar that fits their championship window and successfully make the move for them.
One player that could suddenly become an option for the Knicks is Zion Williamson.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks “checked in” on the availability of Zion this past offseason. He added that the New Orleans Pelicans aren’t completely sold on Zion just yet and that the Knicks pursuing him could be a “possibility.”
It remains to be seen if that comes to fruition but if there is one team that could probably get the Pelicans to the negotiating table, it’s New York.
The New York Knicks could make a competitive offer for Zion Williamson
The Knicks have what feels like an endless supply of draft capital to offer in a potential trade and a few intriguing young pieces that would likely be of interest to a team like the Pelicans.
If New Orleans can’t make strides this season in the Western Conference standings, you’d have to imagine that it could open the door to some reshuffling of the roster. Maybe that means the Pelicans are open to moving a player like Zion.
When he’s healthy, he’s extremely valuable. However, Zion hasn’t been very healthy to start his career. In fact, in four seasons he’s been in the league, he’s only played 60 games once. He’s already missed one complete season and has played less than 30 games in the two other seasons he appeared in.
It’s been far from ideal, so you can’t blame the Pelicans for not proclaiming him completely untouchable at this point in his career.
If nothing else, this is an interesting storyline to keep an eye out for. The Knicks clearly want to make a superstar upgrade soon. At least for now, I maintain that the team is waiting out for Joel Embiid, but Zion could absolutely be on the shortlist of players that they would also be willing to go all-in for.