It feels like every time it really seems like the New Orleans Pelicans front office is ready to move on from Zion Williamson, his health gets in the way. However, thanks to the work he put into his body this offseason, it doesn’t seem like that will be an issue this time around.
One of the biggest talking points for the New Orleans Pelicans heading into the 2025-26 season has been Zion Williamson’s incredible form. There were rumors and rumors all summer that Williamson was committed and committed to getting in better shape and being at his best for this season. Then he showed up to media day and seemed to be in the best shape of his NBA career.
Williamson went down with a kidnapper injury on December 2, and ESPN insider Shams Charania reported that he re-evaluated within three weeks. Instead, he recovered incredibly quickly and was back just twelve days later. According to Williamson, this is fast the recovery was mainly due to the work he put into his body this summer.
“Injuries are annoying… During the summer I worked a lot on my body. If something happens, it is not something that will keep me out of action for a very long time. I can recuperate faster but more efficiently”
Zion Williamson
Him being able to rehab faster will only help the Pelicans in trade talks if they ultimately decide to pull the trigger on a Williamson trade.
Williamson’s return appears to have increased the chances of a trade
In Williamson’s return, he scored 18 points, along with six rebounds and two assists, while also fully embracing coming off the bench in his return. His performance and willingness to buy into what the coaching staff thought was best shows that Williamson is determined to win and could help increase his trade value.
The Pelicans’ chance of winning increases significantly when Z plays. There’s no doubt about that, so if he can stay healthy and this team can get some wins, the Pelicans making Williamson available via trade will look a lot less like an act of desperation. This means opposing front offices may show more willingness to commit additional draft capital to trades.
The New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson have been married for almost seven years and it feels like divorce has been looming for a while. If Williamson can stay healthy and produce at All-Star levels and is able to make it to the trade deadline, then the Pelicans can finally have a clean exit.
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