The roller coaster that is Zion Williamson’s seven-year NBA career is on another downslope as the heart of the 2025-26 season begins to unfold.
Zion had been rather impactful to begin the season, averaging roughly 22 points and six boards a night, but it’s set to be another year plagued by injuries.
Williamson already worked through some hamstring issues last month, and is going to be sidelined for at least another three weeks after it was revealed that he is dealing with an adductor injury.
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will miss extended time with a right adductor injury, sources tell ESPN. He will be re-evaluated in three weeks. pic.twitter.com/NZtuinR4Qq
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 2, 2025
If he does indeed return in three weeks, which would be sometime around Christmas, he’ll have already missed 21 of the New Orleans Pelicans’ 31 games to open the season.
With availability issues rearing their ugly head once again, the Pelicans are reportedly open to taking any sort of fair offer for their former No. 1 pick.
So, could a trade be in store sometime ahead of February’s deadline?
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Zion Williamson Traded to Sacramento Kings: Prediction Reaction
Another team that has been a subject of trade rumors this season is the Sacramento Kings. After showing real promise in the 2022-23 season, the Kings built up a veteran roster in an effort to become a championship contender.
You could say that approach has failed spectacularly. The Kings are 5-17 and clearly need to pivot.
Will Zimmerle of Sports Illustrated has pitched a deal in which the Kings would look to turn things around by trading for Williamson.
Here’s the package that Zimmerle proposes:
Sacramento Kings Receive: Zion Williamson, Saddiq Bey
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Domantas Sabonis, Keon Ellis, Spurs 2027 1st Rd Pick (1-15), Kings 2031 1st Rd Pick (top-10 protected)
“For the Kings, Williamson wouldn’t solve everything or could likely just continue his injury woes in Sacramento, but he would certainly be a gamble and shot at bringing in a true number one option,” he wrote.
Should The Kings Trade For Zion Williamson?
I get the thought process here. If the Kings want to expedite the rebuild that’s inevitably coming in the near future, they should look to acquire a player who’s clearly talented but comes with real risk. In Williamson’s case, the risk is him simply not being on the floor.
While I understand Zimmerle’s line of thinking, in my eyes, this would be a foolish move from the Kings. This is the kind of trade that could keep Sacramento in the basement of the West for the rest of the decade.
The Kings just need to commit to a legitimate rebuild.
Flip your valuable assets for emerging players and picks, not a player who’s appeared in fewer than 40 games in four of six years in the NBA.
Ellis and Sabonis are two valuable trade chips. Don’t squander that value by taking a massive swing on arguably the riskiest player in the NBA. Bite the bullet and rebuild through the draft.
Zion Williamson Stats
It’s the same story with Williamson this season. He’s been productive, but with his recent injury, we could be hitting the new year with Zion only having played 10 games.
2025-26 Stats:
10 GP
30.9 MPG
22.1 PPG
5.6 RPG
4.0 APG
51.0 FG%