As the Golden State Warriors look to maximize their remaining championship window with superstar Stephen Curry, the aggressive nature of their front office has made clear that almost any move is on the table in an attempt to bring one more title to The Bay.
However, in light of the recent rumors surrounding oft-injured star Zion Williamson's availability for trade, the team must make sure to steer clear of any potential knee-jerk move for the young forward.
Such a trade would be potentially disastrous, in all likelihood involving the departure of team-transforming cornerstone Jimmy Butler.
Warriors must stay away from the enticing prospect of a Zion Williamson trade
As reported by Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports, there are currently no players that are considered unavailable on the New Orleans Pelicans roster.
While this likely indicates the genuine availability of more tradeable pieces such as Jose Alvarado or Yves Missi, it also indicates that the Pelicans could be gauging interest in Williamson, who is the current centerpiece of their franchise.
Williamson, who will be 25 by the start of next season, is a superstar-level scoring threat. In 30 games this past season, he averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
However, in his six NBA seasons, he has played more than 30 games only twice, missing the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to injury. The Pelicans, who suffered mightily from injuries this season and finished at an abysmal 21-61 record, may now look to move on from Williamson and reboot their franchise. They hold the seventh overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.
The Warriors, in order to put together a package for Williamson, would likely need to include Butler as well as a number of first-round picks.
Williamson, with his strength and ability to drive to the basket, would provide an immediate upgrade, both in athleticism and cost, over Butler when healthy.
However, while Williamson would immediately provide another dynamic scoring threat alongside Curry, his injury history, and the length of his contract, should preclude Golden State from pursuing any such move.
Williamson will be on the third season of his six-year, $197 million deal, effectively preventing the Warriors from resetting their own franchise following the end of Curry and Butler's contracts.
Moreover, the team's roster issues stem primarily from their lack of size at the center position and lack of playmaking depth on their bench, two issues that Williamson would not be able to fix.
Therefore, while these rumors about Williamson's availability could lead to an intriguing, league-wide sweepstakes for the star's services, Golden State should be nowhere near being a potential trade partner for New Orleans.