NBA Trade Proposal Sends Zion Williamson To Trail Blazers, Deandre Ayton To Pelicans

One NBA analyst proposed that the New Orleans Pelicans trade Zion Williamson to the Portland Trail Blazers for Deandre Ayton.

Dan Favale of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Pelicans and Trail Blazers:

New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Deandre Ayton, No. 11 pick, Milwaukee’s 2028 first-round pick (swap rights), Milwaukee’s 2029 first-round pick (swap rights)

Portland Trail Blazers: Zion Williamson

“The Pelicans are ready for a reset,” Favale wrote. “They can wait and see whether Zion increases his value ahead of February’s trade deadline, but that’s a risky game considering his checkered injury history. Scooping up another lottery pick for one of the NBA’s least-available stars would be a good start. Ditto for taking back only an expiring contract in Ayton. The rights to Milwaukee’s selections might get dicey, though. They are not outright first-rounders, so there’s no guarantee the Pelicans exercise those swaps.

“At the same time, New Orleans controls Milwaukee’s next two firsts (swap rights in 2026 and top-four-protected in 2027). Adding another two to its clip would be a calculated gamble.”

Williamson has played in just 45% of his possible games with the Pelicans since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The lefty has never played in a playoff game. 

Williamson appeared in 30 games for the Pelicans this season. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 56.7% from the field and 65.6% from the free-throw line. 

A two-time All-Star, Williamson has career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 214 games. 

The Pelicans signed Williamson to a five-year, $197 million extension in 2022. Williamson will make $39,446,090 next season, $42,166,510 in 2026-27 and $44,886,930 in 2027-28, the final season of his contract. 

“Giannis Antetokounmpo has soft-launched a potential trade request, so the Bucks soon may be on the way down,” Favale wrote. “Those swaps could be gold. They could also be auctioned off for a ransom as a means of facilitating Giannis’ relocation elsewhere. Portland might balk at including both or either of them for that reason. Zion’s health won’t suddenly become more of a certainty in a different uniform. But he’d give the Blazers a genuine star, which they don’t yet have, and which they likely won’t find so late in this year’s lottery.

“Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has assembled defensive talent capable of insulating Zion, and Portland’s offense would sing if it injects more shooting into the rotation around him. If this is too rich for the Blazers’ tastes, they could try fleshing out a deal around Jerami Grant, or try tacking on Matisse Thybulle (player option) to this construction.”

Ayton has played for the Phoenix Suns and Trail Blazers. He has career averages of 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Ayton will make $35,550,814 next season in the final year of his contract.