The Chicago Bulls are interested in Zion Williamson.
According to recent reports, the Pelicans – despite not being amenable to dealing a fair number of their other assets – are also interested in dealing the once league-best young asset. Whatever happened to the Zion of old?
Let's take a quick journey back to 2019.
The league was completely different seven years ago than it was today. The Golden State Warriors appeared poised for yet another championship, LeBron was still in his prime, and the pace-and-space era was just beginning. A new hope lingered on the horizon for teams near the bottom of the lottery, though.
Zion Williamson was in the middle of one of the most impressive freshman collegiate campaigns that we've seen – perhaps only rivaled in the last decade by fellow Blue Devil Cooper Flagg last year. He was proving all the critics wrong, those who dared to label his freakish footage from high school merely indicative of the low level of competition he was crushing.
There were certainly flashes of doubt, the infamous shoe blowout mid-game chief amongst them. Fans with any shred of common sense knew that beneath the rarified air that Zion breathed lingered the treacherous seeds of injury, but they may not have known at the time just how decimating it would truly become.
Zion was obviously picked first overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the (seemingly) wish-upon-a-star lucky New Orleans Pelicans, who were nowhere near the top lottery odds to begin with. It allowed them to truly pivot away from the Anthony Davis era, and at the time, their youthful legs seemed rivaled by none.
Even in 2020-2021, the year following his injury-plagued rookie campaign, GMs ranked Zion amongst the top 5 in most desirable assets to start a franchise with (beneath Giannis, Luka, and AD, and tied with LeBron).
Since then, Zion has fallen from grace in a fashion only truly mirrored in history by Icarus. Questions of weight, effort on and off the floor, and his long-range ability have marred a career once capable of joining the all-time greats. The Pelicans are allegedly looking to move off his contract in similar fashion to the Hawks with Trae Young – who can blame them?
The Chicago Bulls have emerged as the prime suitor for Williamson, which may come as a surprise to fans. What can they even offer the Pelicans in matching salary?
Atlanta can easily match (and exceed) Chicago's offer, whatever it is.
The Bulls offer will likely be centered around Zach Collins and Kevin Huerter, two expiring deals earning $36M together this year. Williamson's lucrative $39M this season only grows to 42 and 45 the following seasons, hence the Pels' desire to break free.
Atlanta can offer something that the Bulls cannot: an expiring deal with genuine potential for a team-friendly deal next year while still holding legitimate value. Kristaps Porzingis, plagued by injuries just as badly as Williamson, is on an expiring $30M contract. Should the Hawks make the call to New Orleans, the offer of KP should immediately exceed the tantalization of Collins and Huerter.
While Williamson is a far cry from fixing the Hawks' multitude of problems this season, it's the ultimate buy-low opportunity. Earlier this season, I mocked him as potentially worthy of trading the Pels own pick back (plus cap filler). Now, including this high-value pick is completely unnecessary.
An evanescent talent is right at the Hawks' fingertips. Sure, the talent may dry up in a year or less due to very real injury concerns, but it may just need a new home to shine. Make the call, Onsi.