PORTLAND, Ore. — Here's what we know: The New Orleans Pelicans really like G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, a projected Top 3 pick in the June 22 NBA draft. They like him so much, they're "aggressively" pursuing the second or third pick in order to draft Henderson, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier this week.
That pulls the Portland Trail Blazers into the conversation, of course, because Portland has the third pick in the draft.
Do the Pelicans like Henderson enough to put Zion Williamson, New Orleans' uber-talented but oft-injured big man, into trade discussions? According to a report Wednesday from longtime NBA journalist Marc Stein, the answer is yes.
"I heard this week from one well-placed observer who is convinced that the Pelicans would indeed consider dealing Williamson away if it meant they could draft Henderson," Stein reported in his Substack newsletter.
The Pelicans would reach out to the Hornets first before talking to the Blazers since Charlotte has the second pick and thus the first shot at drafting Henderson. In fact, Charania reported Tuesday that the Pelicans are already having conversations with the Hornets.
But if the Hornets pass on trade offers from New Orleans — or any other team — and draft Alabama forward Brandon Miller, as they've been projected to do since the night of the draft lottery, then the Blazers would have an intriguing decision to make if the Pelicans indeed put Williamson on the table in trade discussions for the third pick.
A dominant talent
There's no denying Williamson's talent. Coming off an historic freshman season at Duke, he was the no-doubt No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. NBA pundits said he was the best NBA prospect since LeBron James — the same thing they're now saying about this year's projected No. 1 pick, Victor Wembanyama.
Over the first four seasons of Williamson's NBA career, he's lived up to that billing whenever he's been on the court. His career averages are impressive: 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He attacks the rim relentlessly, where he either scores (he makes 69.8% of his field goal attempts at the rim) or gets fouled (8.4 free-throw attempts per game). Even though every opposing team and every opposing player knows what Williamson is going to do, they still can't stop it. Williamson has legitimate MVP-caliber talent.
Based on talent alone, if the Blazers are going to trade the No. 3 pick, it's hard to see Portland landing a more talented player in return.
A history of injuries
But there's a catch. There's a reason the Pelicans are considering making Williamson available. Teams don't usually trade generational talents like him. The fact that Williamson may be available speaks to the seriousness of the persistent injuries that have diminished his overall impact in the NBA.
Williamson has been hurt repeatedly over his first four seasons, limiting him to only 114 total games, including 29 over the past two seasons. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a foot injury and the final half of the 2022-23 season with a hamstring injury. There have been rumors that Williamson doesn't always work as hard in rehab as he needs to in order to get back on the court. At the end of last season, Williamson told reporters he was fine physically but wouldn't return to the court until "I feel like Zion."
There are many who believe Williamson's history of injuries is due to his conditioning. He's one of the strongest players in the NBA, but he also packs a lot of weight on his 6-foot-6 frame. Others have suggested that the weight and conditioning isn't the real issue — Williamson reportedly got into great shape last offseason by following a specific nutrition plan and engaging in rigid two-a-day workouts — suggesting that Williamson instead needs to adjust how he trains to account for his strength and body composition.
Whatever the reason, it's a fact that Williamson has had trouble staying on the court. He worked really hard to get into shape last offseason and was fantastic to start the year, playing in 29 of the team's first 37 games and averaging 26 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. But he didn't play after Jan. 2, missing the final 44 games of the season with a hamstring injury.
Is Williamson worth the risk?
Does the vast potential reward outweigh the significant risk when it comes to Williamson? That's a question the Blazers would need to seriously consider if the Pelicans offer him in a trade for the No. 3 pick.
Will it even happen? There are still eight days until the NBA draft. Much can change. And Portland isn't even in the driver's seat. That position belongs to Charlotte. Scoot Henderson would need to get past the Hornets and the No. 2 pick to even open up a potential trade opportunity like this for Portland.
But if the opportunity does present itself, pairing Lillard with a player viewed by most as a Top 10 player in the NBA when healthy, is certainly an intriguing proposition.