NBA Mock Trade: Pelicans move on from Zion Williamson for former No. 1 pick and a bunch of role players

The New Orleans Pelicans hoped for Zion Williamson to break out and be the superstar he looked like in high school and college. However, injuries have repeatedly gotten in the way, up to the point where some question if he’ll ever be healthy.

A potential trade package could help the Pelicans move on from him while sending Zion to the Miami Heat. In this, the Pelicans would send the former No. 1 pick to South Beach in return for Andrew Wiggins, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic and first-round picks in 2026 and 2028 for Williamson.

The Heat have been trying to get a superstar for years now and with Jimmy Butler no longer on the premises, that need could be even bigger.

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But it's hard to imagine a scenario in which Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra would part ways with four key rotational pieces and two first-round selections to get their hands on one of the most injury-prone players in the league.

Also, with all the reports and concerns about his issues off the court, perhaps Miami is the last place he should be to get his career back on track.

As for the Pelicans, getting the two first-round picks should be plenty to convince them. It would be a decent return for a player who has barely played since he entered the league.

The Pelicans are still committed to Zion

Even so, it seems like Zion isn't going anywhere, at least for the time being.

Keith Smith of Spotrac shared a statement he got from an unnamed Pelicans executive, and it looks like they're still trying to make things work with the Duke product:

“Zion is still our guy. If he wasn’t, we could have waived him for like nothing on the books. We could have reset everything. But we believe in Zion. He wants to make it work, and so do we. This partnership hasn’t even come close to reaching our best yet,” the statement read.

New Pelicans executive Joe Dumars also said he had been in talks with Williamson, urging him to step up and fulfill his potential. So, for now, the Pelicans aren't ready to give up on him.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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