LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 15: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
If there’s any truth to the rumors Zion Williamson is unhappy with the Pelicans, how likely would a trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers be?
An unhappy superstar forward playing for the New Orleans Pelicans. Stop if I’m wrong, but I feel like we’ve heard this before.
If you’re unfamiliar, the last instance included Anthony Davis who wanted out of The Big Easy. Davis got his wish and was dealt to the Lakers during the 2019 offseason in a mega-deal just a few days before the Pelicans would draft Zion Williamson with the No.1 overall pick.
Now it’s being reported Zion isn’t happy, and if it’s true he could already be on his way out after playing just 85 games in two years.
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Now the question becomes who will make the move and bring in Zion. Surely there’s going to be buyers, and nobody loves stars like the city of Los Angeles. That being said, I think there’s no way the Lakers make this trade happen.
For starters Zion’s play style doesn’t fit the Lakers. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are ball dominant. What fits their team best this offseason are shooters who can space the floor, or a pass-first point guard who can help set their offense up. If anything they could also use a rebounding and defense-first center who can take some of the burden off of Davis inside the paint.
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Even if the Lakers could alter their game plan to fit the style of Williamson, they cannot afford to keep him around in addition to the hefty contracts of James and Davis. Zion will have team options of $10.7 million (2022) and $13.5 million (2023) over the next two seasons.
After that? It’s more than likely going to be a big payday. Even though they’re the Lakers, it’s a slim chance they find a way to make it work.