Zion Williamson sticks his tongue out.Zion Williamson (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)


According to reports, the New Orleans Pelicans invest heavily in developing their squad around two-time NBA All-Star Zion Williamson. They hope to trade for Dejounte Murray or Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks to go with the previous first-overall selection.

NBA expert Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports revealed the revelation on X, saying that Pelicans All-Star forward Brandon Ingram would be a potential trade partner for the Hawks.

The report states that the Pelicans are anticipated to begin negotiations for a deal involving Murray or Young. The LA Lakers, rivals in the Western Conference with New Orleans, also keep an eye on the two. According to reports, Ingram is the crucial component of a Pelicans package that will be shipped to Atlanta.

According to reports, the Pelicans are also open to haggling for Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, two players on the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to the stats on NBA.com, Zion Williamson participated in a career-high 70 games for the Pelicans. However, he averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, five assists, and 1.1 steals per 32 minutes of action.

He was a key member of his team’s 49-33 card, just missing an automatic postseason berth. They advanced to the postseason through the play-in tournament. However, Williamson was sidelined due to a hamstring injury sustained during the competition. In the first round of the playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder thoroughly defeated the Pelicans.

Zion Williamson Wants to Be a Better Player Next Season

Zion Williamson, an All-Star forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, had a memorable 2023–24 NBA season and plans to build on it in the next season and beyond. With a career-high 70 games played, the 23-year-old former first-overall choice made his club a reliable top-tier team in the contested Western Conference.

According to NBA.com, Zion Williamson discussed his season and his goals for the upcoming campaign during their farewell interview: “That was definitely a step in the right direction. (I’m) looking to build on that next season. Hopefully do what I need to do so I can participate in the playoffs next year.”

Zion Williamson’s best Pelicans game before this was 61 during his sophomore campaign. It was when he averaged career-highs of 27 points and 7.2 rebounds.