New Orleans Pelicans

Despite his lengthy injury history, some NBA front office people seemingly remain tantalized by the talent and skill set of New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks, an anonymous NBA executive called Williamson's trade value "the hardest question to answer in the NBA right now," before adding:

"It's really hard to see anybody paying a ton for him right now, but there are a very limited number of players in the league when healthy who are at or near the franchise-player tier. The only way you win at the highest level is to have a guy who can do the type of things he can do if he's healthy. I would probably do something stupid to get him if it were me making decisions."

Williamson has missed the Pels' past 24 games due to a hamstring injury, but head coach Willie Green told reporters that he has returned to practice in a limited capacity this week.

Originally the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Duke, Williamson entered the league to a ton of fanfare, but injuries limited him to just 24 games as a rookie.

Unfortunately for Williamson and the Pelicans, that developed into a trend, as he played in fewer than 30 games in three of his five NBA seasons entering the 2024-25 campaign.

Williamson was named an All-Star in both 2020-21 and 2022-23, and last season was the healthiest of his NBA career thus far, as he appeared in 70 games and averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals per contest.

Prior to injuring his hamstring this season, Zion played in six games and averaged 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 blocks, bringing his career averages to 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steal.

That type of production is difficult to ignore, especially given the fact that Williamson is still only 24 years of age.

However, the fact that he has played just 190 games over six NBA seasons is a huge red flag and something any team must consider before potentially trading for him.

Despite his injury concerns, the Pelicans signed Williamson to a five-year, $197.23 million contract extension in 2022, meaning he is under contract through the 2027-28 season.

Any team that trades for Williamson would be making a long-term commitment, which makes it an even riskier proposition.

There is no indication that the Pels have imminent plans to trade Williamson, and MacMahon and Marks reported that his agent, Bill Duffy, has no plans to push New Orleans to trade him this season.

Due largely to injuries causing key players such as Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones to miss significant time this season, the Pelicans have the worst record in the NBA at 5-28.

That could mean it's the perfect time and opportunity to reset the roster, but it also may not be the best idea to trade Williamson when his value isn't as high as it could and should be.

Still, the anonymous Eastern Conference exec's comments suggest there remains some belief within the NBA that Zion can develop into something special, and that could mean that a worthwhile trade involving Williamson will be available to the Pels in the near future.

Zion Williamson's agent "has no intention" to pressure the New Orleans Pelicans for a trade ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, sources told ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks.

Williamson has been sidelined since Nov. 6 with a left hamstring strain.

The Pelicans star parted ways with his former representation at CAA after the injury, per The Athletic's Joe Vardon and Sam Amick.

He has since signed with WME's Bill Duffy, as reported by Marc Stein and confirmed by MacMahon and Marks.

The Pelicans announced on Dec. 24 that Williams is considered week-to-week with his hamstring injury. He had returned to practice in limited capacity as of Dec. 29.

Amid his absence and other injuries to the rotation, the Pels have tumbled to an NBA-worst 5-28 record.

As they head into the New Year on a 10-game losing streak, the Pelicans are not expected to focus on finding a trade partner for Williamson ahead of the deadline, according to MacMahon and Marks.

Instead, the front office's "priority" will be finding a trade partner for Brandon Ingram's expiring contract, per MacMahon and Marks.

The Pelicans held extension talks with Ingram this offseason but were unable to find a compromise between the team's desire to stay below the luxury tax and the player's goal of $50 million per season, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

With the playoffs slipping out of reach for the Pelicans, trading Ingram before he can walk this offseason is New Orleans' best shot of betting pieces to rebuild next season.

Williamson, on the other hand, is signed for three more seasons after this one, although he needs to trigger certain contractual markers in order to get the money guaranteed.

The guarantees can be triggered by weigh-ins and games-played minimum. These would potentially allow a team to waive Williamson after this season without taking a financial penalty, as previously reported by The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov.

Those clauses could increase Williamson's trade value despite his injury history. NBA executives have named the Golden State Warriors or Chicago Bulls as potential fits for his contract, per MacMahon and Marks.

But a trade would likely involve selling low on Williamson, who doesn't turn 25 until next July and when healthy he has proven he can still be an effective contributor. It sounds like the Pelicans aren't yet ready to move on from their young star as he continues to work his way back from his latest injury.

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly focused on finding a taker for veteran wing Brandon Ingram in the midst of his contract year.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks, trading Ingram "is the priority" for the Pels prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Ingram suffered a high-grade low left ankle sprain in early December, and he has missed the Pelicans' past nine games.

The 27-year-old Ingram has been his productive self when healthy this season, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.4 three-pointers made, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from beyond the arc, but he has been limited to just 18 games.

Injuries have always been an issue for Ingram, who has played in 65 or more games in a season only once in his career, and not since his rookie campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016-17.

Last season, Ingram played in 64 games, which was the second-highest total of his career, but he is trending toward appearing in fewer than 60 games for the third time in the past four seasons.

For his career, Ingram averages 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, and the numbers look even better during his six-year run with the Pels, as he has averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists.

In 2019-20, he was the NBA's Most Improved Player and was named an All-Star for the first and only time, and he has continued to put up impressive numbers since then even though remaining on the court consistently has been a struggle.

Ingram signed a five-year, $158.25 million maximum contract extension with the Pels in 2020, but they have been unable to come to terms on another new deal, meaning a trade is the best course of action for New Orleans so as to not lose him for nothing in free agency.

Entering the 2024-25 campaign, there was some thought that the Pelicans would ride it out with Ingram if they were contending and bound for the playoffs, but that clearly isn't the case.

In fact, the Pelicans are perhaps the biggest disappointment in the NBA this season, as their 5-28 mark is the worst in the league.

Injuries have been a major contributing factor since Ingram, Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum have all missed significant time.

Given their talent, it is fair to wonder if the Pelicans may be capable of turning it around quickly and returning to the playoffs as soon as next season.

Getting a solid package of draft picks and players for Ingram would perhaps help accelerate the process, as would landing one of the top selections in the 2025 NBA draft and taking a potential franchise player in Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper or Egor Demin.

The Pelicans are already looking ahead to next season, but provided he can get healthy, Ingram is the type of player capable of playing a significant role for a contending team.

Ingram isn't likely a No. 1 or even No. 2 scoring option on a championship team, but he could be the ideal trade target for a team in need of an offensive spark down the stretch.

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson's disappointing 2024-25 campaign has led to speculation that he could be on the verge of being traded this season, but one insider doesn't expect him to go anywhere.

ESPN's Shams Charania said during an appearance on Wednesday's episode of NBA Countdown that he's "not holding my breath" on Williamson being traded ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline (7:50 mark).

The Athletic's Jovan Buha recently named Williamson among the players the Pelicans have "been shopping" this season. Still, it would be a surprise to see New Orleans ship away a player once thought to be the future face of the franchise.

Williamson hasn't played since Nov. 6 and has been limited to six games this season due to a left hamstring strain. In his brief time on the floor, he's averaged 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists.

Being without Williamson is nothing new for the Pelicans, as he's played in less than 30 games in three seasons since New Orleans drafted him No. 1 overall in 2019, including missing the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign.

The Pelicans announced on Tuesday that Williamson has begun the conditioning phase of his rehab and is expected to return to full practice next week. The team has suffered mightily in his absence, ranking last in the Western Conference with a 5-25 record.

In addition to Williamson, New Orleans has had a slew of players miss significant time due to injuries this season. Star forward Brandon Ingram and star guards Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum have all been in and out of the lineup during the team's disastrous campaign. Most recently, swingman Trey Murphy III suffered a left ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The Pelicans will be looking to end a seven-game losing streak when they take on the Houston Rockets (20-9) on Thursday.

The New Orleans Pelicans' season has not gone the way they hoped it would in part because of injuries, and they provided multiple updates Tuesday.

New Orleans announced Zion Williamson is considered week-to-week with a left hamstring strain even though he "has begun the return to play conditioning phase of his rehabilitation program and is expected to return to full practice next week."

Here are the other updates:

• "Brandon Ingram (left ankle sprain) remains in the early treatment and recovery phase of his rehabilitation program. He will be re-examined in approximately two weeks his status will be updated as appropriate."
• "Jose Alvarado (left hamstring strain) has begun the return to play conditioning phase of his rehabilitation program and is expected to return to full practice next week. He will be week-to-week going forward."
• "Trey Murphy III, who sustained a left ankle injury during Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets, has been diagnosed with a mild left ankle sprain. His status is considered day-to-day going forward."
• "Karlo Matković (low back disc protrusion) has progressed to the return to play conditioning phase of his rehabilitation program. He will be week-to-week going forward."

Williamson is the biggest name and has been out since early November with a left hamstring strain. He has played just six games this year.

The injury concerns have come after Williamson had one of the best seasons of his career both from a health perspective and a performance perspective in 2023-24. He played a career-high 70 games, averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists. With Williamson on the court for most of the year, New Orleans posted its best record since 2009, going 49-33.

The Pelicans made the postseason via the play-in tournament but were without their star after he suffered an injury in their play-in game against the Lakers. They fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in four games.

With no Williamson, New Orleans has started the year 5-25. Ingram has also played just 18 games, while Murphy has appeared in 17 contests. Alvarado has played 11 games, further underscoring the overall injury issues on the roster.

Amid a disastrous 5-24 start for the New Orleans Pelicans, the team is reportedly willing to part with some of its stars in potential trades.

But while the Pelicans could make some stars available, others remain untouchable. Per The Athletic's Jovan Buha, New Orleans "wants to keep" Trey Murphy and Herb Jones but has "been shopping" Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum. Buha also noted that the Pelicans haven't explored trades for Dejounte Murray.

"Based on the reporting intel, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones are at a certain level for them. They want to keep them," Buha said (44:20 mark). "Those are two guys that are going to have a high price to give up, similar to L.A. with Austin Reaves. Seems like Zion, and Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum are the three guys they've been shopping more in terms of their core starters, and Dejounte Murray has not."

Though his performance has been subpar so far, Murray will have a high asking price if the Pelicans include him in a trade, according to Buha.

"I think the price for Dejounte Murray is still going to probably be high," Buha said. "I don't think they're just going to sell him for, like, a first and matching salary. I would personally be surprised if he gets flipped for that type of package."

Williamson has been injury-prone once again this season, playing just six games due to a hamstring injury. Williamson played 70 games a season ago, an encouraging change from the start of his career, but with injuries becoming an issue again this year, the Pelicans are reportedly willing to part ways with the player they hoped could lead them to a championship.

Both Ingram and McCollum have been decent this year, but have been far from enough to boost New Orleans to a championship level. Parting ways with one or both could result in valuable draft picks to start building for the future.

The Pelicans' unwillingness to budge on Murphy makes sense given the year the 24-year-old is having. He's averaging a career-high 19.2 points per game while remaining solid on the defensive end.

Jones, who landed on the NBA All-Defensive First Team a year ago, has been just as good on defense this year, averaging a career-high 1.9 steals per game.

The New Orleans Pelicans apparently are ready to rebuild.

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the team is willing to potentially trade its veteran stars like Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum this season, or at least field offers.

Per that report: "While naturally resistant to trade inquiries for their younger gems—Herb Jones, rookie Yves Missi and Trey Murphy III—word is that the Pelicans are essentially open to trade pitches for pretty much anyone else on the roster apart from those three amid a 5-21 start and more injury woe than even Philadelphia."

The question, of course, is just how much value any of Williamson, Ingram or McCollum will have on the market.

Williamson is undoubtedly talented, but staying healthy remains a huge issue. Given that he's on the first year of a five-year, $197.2 million contract, teams might balk at taking on those injury risks, or at the very least balk at giving up major assets to do so.

Ingram, meanwhile, will be a free agent after the season, and any team adding him will likely want assurances he would sign an extension. That will gum up the works in trade talks.

And McCollum is 33 and still has two years and $63.9 million remaining on his contract. He remains a solid player when healthy, but his own injury concerns and that big contract may make him less appealing for potential suitors.

Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels referred to his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, as "cursed" on Wednesday, per NBA insider Jake Fischer.

"That organization's cursed," Daniels said. "Every year there's something new. I'm happy I'm not there anymore."

When asked to elaborate, the 21-year-old referenced the team's struggles with injuries throughout the past few seasons and discussed his own prior health issues while he was a member of the organization.

"The curse, man," Daniels said. "I had like four or five ankle injuries down there as well. There's something down in that water down there or something. They got hamstrings. They got knees. They got concussions and stuff as well. They get everything down there. I don't know what it is. Playing hard I guess?"

While the Pelicans are coming off a 49-win season to go along with a playoff appearance, they've been plagued by injuries as they've attempted to rise up the Western Conference standings.

Zion Williamson has highlighted New Orleans' health woes, as the star power forward has appeared in just 190 games since the team selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He's also missed 20 games this season due to a hamstring injury.

Brandon Ingram has also served as an efficient three-level scorer when healthy, but he's surpassed 60 games played in just one of the past three seasons. Ingram is currently sidelined with a high-grade left ankle sprain.

As for Daniels, he appeared in 120 of a possible 164 games in his two seasons with the Pelicans before he was traded to the Hawks over the summer. While some of the missed time can be attributed to his limited rotation minutes to open his NBA career, he's still been able to stay on the floor in Atlanta.

He's only missed two games to begin his 2024-25 campaign, establishing himself as one of the association's best perimeter defenders. Daniels has racked up a league-leading 73 steals this season, 24 more than Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams at No. 2.

With the Hawks sitting at 14-12 while the Pelicans own a mere 5-21 record as they deal with injuries, Daniels is certainly happy with the change of scenery.

The sharks are starting to circle with the New Orleans Pelicans watching their playoff hopes dwindle by the day.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported the last-place Pels are starting to receive interest in some of their supporting pieces, with forward Herb Jones and guard CJ McCollum specifically cited.

New Orleans is only a few months removed from giving up Dyson Daniels and two first-round picks in order to acquire Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks. However, the more the injuries and losses continue to mount, the harder it's going to be to ignore the temptation to pack it in and hope for the top pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

When stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram remain out indefinitely, there's little hope the Pelicans can turn things around soon. Admitting this is a lost season is better than trying to maintain a fruitless quest for contention.

There should be limits to how much the front office is prepared to tear the roster down, though.

Dealing McCollum makes sense because he's an aging guard on a sizable contract. His two-year extension carries a $30.7 million salary for 2025-26.

The 33-year-old is on pace to average 20-plus points per game, but he's shooting a career-worst 31.4 percent from beyond the arc. His defensive deficiencies are more glaring too.

Especially after the Murray trade, it's hard to see why McCollum should be considered an instrumental part of the franchise's future.

Jones, on the other hand, is in the second year of a pretty modest $53.8 million contract. While his perimeter shooting has cratered—29.2 percent on threes—that's partially attributable to a small sample. He has been limited to seven appearances so far. That should stabilize to complement the positive value he provides as a defender.

At 26, the 6'7" forward is a key contributor now and should remain one when the Pelicans are better positioned to contend down the road.

Unless New Orleans gets a massive offer that's simply too good to pass up, there's little reason why a Jones trade should garner serious consideration internally.

As injuries have ravaged the New Orleans Pelicans to the point they are fighting to avoid having the worst record in the NBA, Brandon Ingram's future with the organization is going to be a focus leading up to the trade deadline.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Ingram previously sought $50 million per season in a contract extension from the Pelicans when the two sides had talks during the offseason.

It has been known that Ingram was seeking a max extension for some time. ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted over the summer that one of the reasons New Orleans was struggling to find a trade partner for the 27-year-old is because he wanted a new deal worth at least $200 million.

Charania cited the Minnesota Timberwolves as a team that had interest in Ingram during the offseason, but they no longer seem like viable option after using Karl-Anthony Towns' contrac to facilitate the trade with the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

As Ingram went through the entire offseason and start of the regular season without receiving the deal he was after, he decided to change his representation.

Charania reported on Dec. 1 that Ingram left Excel Sports Management to join Klutch Sports. The hope will be that his new representatives will be able to help him find the type of contract he has been seeking.

While it's certainly possible a team seeking an impact scorer will end up paying Ingram top-of-the-market money next offseason, his injury issues so far this season aren't helping his leverage.

A midseason trade doesn't seem like it's out of the question. Ingram's $36 million expiring salary could be very attractive to many teams leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Ingram has missed seven of the Pelicans' last 10 games due to an ankle injury. The team announced on Sunday he will be out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a "high-grade low left ankle sprain."

The Pelicans seem headed toward a rebuild as things currently stand. Their 5-20 record is the second-worst mark in the NBA, ahead of only the Washington Wizards (3-19). CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Jose Alvardo and Zion Williamson have all missed at least 13 games so far.

When Ingram has played this season, he has been effective. The veteran forward is averaging 22.2 points on 46.5 percent shooting (37.4 percent three-point shooting), 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in 18 starts.