Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans
Getty
Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans
One of the interesting notes to come out of recent NBA trade rumor-mill chatter has been the abrupt end of the Pelicans‘ projected fire sale, a sale which might have made some sense considering New Orleans is 9-32, the worst team in the Western Conference and the second-worst in the league. The Pels will send their pick to the Hawks in this year’s draft, so there is not much incentive to tank, but it would behoove New Orleans to add draft assets while they can.
The Pelicans have valued pieces on hand, namely forward Zion Williamson, and wings Trey Murphy and Herb Jones. Any of the three could fetch a good draft return for New Orleans, and sending out all of them could put the Pelicans’ rebuild into hyperdrive.
That’s why teams like the Lakers and Warriors were among those salivating at the notion of pulling a deal that could boost the defense and add shooting, with players like Jones and Murphy. And teams like the Heat and Bucks, maybe willing to take a low-cost, high-reward gamble, could have made their pitch on Williamson.
NBA Trade Rumors Could Still Percolate Around Pelicans Targets
But the Pelicans set a high bar for trades of any of those three players from the get-go, and last week, veteran reporter Chris Haynes noted that New Orleans has now been telling teams it won’t trade Jones, Murphy or Williamson.
He wrote, “Sources: New Orleans Pelicans are disappointing the market in informing teams that Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears will remain with the organization past Feb. 5 trade deadline.”
That is the case, but around the league, teams are still asking the Pelicans about potential trades. There is the feeling that the Pelicans might be up to something, that it is very early in the process for a nine-win team to be shutting down chatter on good role players who are not necessarily stars. team president Joe Dumars, after all, is an old hand at this.
“You know, it is smoke screen season,” one Western Conference executive said. “The best way to drive up what you can get back in three weeks is by saying no now. They can wait, they can trade these guys in the summer if that’s what they want to do–they’re signed for a good long time, it won’t hurt to wait, and they haven’t liked where the market is on their players. But everything changes when you get close to February 5.”
Indeed, Jones and Murphy are signed through 2028-29, with Murphy also having a player option for the following season. Williamson is signed through 2028, but has non-guaranteed money that allows his team to escape his deal if he is injured.
Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars of the New Orleans Pelicans
GettyHead of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars of the New Orleans Pelicans
Warriors, Knicks, Bucks, Heat on the Mill
Other trade-rumor notes around the league:
Michael Porter Jr. to the Warriors? There seems to be momentum for the deal. The Warriors have done well to give coach Steve Kerr depth, but in some ways, it’s been a blessing and a curse. One assistant coach noted, “They’ve got so many B-minus, C-plus guys. They need to kind of consolidate and get some As.”
The Knicks had a ray of hope from forward/center Guerschon Yabusele, who scored eight points in 13 minutes against the Clippers last Wednesday, signaling he could either breathe some life into his trade value or start to provide the kind of value the Knicks hoped for when they signed him from the Sixers last summer. But the Yabusele frustration continued with a bruised thigh that has kept him out the last two games.
Should the Grizzlies move forward in earnest with trading oft-injured (and oft-suspended) point guard Ja Morant, the leading landing spots should come as no surprise: the Miami Heat, who continue to founder and need to decide whether they’re pushing to be a contender again or whether they should rebuild, and the Milwaukee Bucks, who have everything on the table at this point with the expectation that no trade of Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the offing.
The Heat, for what it’s worth, really should begin a rebuild and should not only try to unload Tyler Herro, but should weigh the market on Bam Adebayo. That’s what they should do, logically. But, as the exec said, “Pat Riley is 80. He’s not doing a rebuild and they are not dealing Bam.”