If you were one of those NBA fans hoping for some juicy Zion Williamson trade speculation this summer, you might want to slow your roll. By the sound of it, it seems like the talented but maddeningly inconsistent forward will stay with the New Orleans Pelicans. Well, through at least one more summer, that is.

According to a sentiment shared by The Athletic’s William Guillory, the Pelicans trading Williamson in the coming weeks is “very unlikely” compared to what some slowly simmering rumors might have otherwise said or will say. Why, might you ask?

Because the Pelicans and Williamson are apparently interested in strengthening their working relationship (at least for now). And with Pelicans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars seemingly leading the way, they’ve already taken steps to do so.

More from The Athletic’s William Guillory:

“Yes, the Pelicans were very intentional with their decision to make [Zion] Williamson the team’s on-stage representative at the [2025] NBA Draft Lottery a few weeks ago (and Williamson’s decision to be there was also intentional).

Yes, it’s very unlikely Williamson gets moved in a trade before the 2025-26 season starts. There’s already been communication between Williamson, his camp and [Joe] Dumars on several occasions. All parties feel pretty good about where things stand with the Pelicans-Williamson marriage heading into next season.”

Oh, right. You know, all of this does track. It doesn’t really benefit the Pelicans to move on from Williamson just yet, considering they spent last season mired near the bottom of the Western Conference. Not after seeing him play some of the finest basketball of his career over the final few months of the year, showing a more consistent glimpse of his tantalizing potential. He’ll only be 25 come next season. He could only be scratching the surface as the type of franchise player he might still become after a rocky start to his career.

So, they’re not exactly going to recoup proper value from a Williamson deal. Because you never “win” that kind of trade as the team making the deal. It would make more sense to just ride out for another year and see where things stand next year. This appears to be precisely how the Pelicans are approaching their dynamic with Williamson for the time being.

Still, even their patience here is understandably somewhat fleeting.

More via The Athletic’s Will Guillory:

“Ultimately, it’s really difficult to give up on Williamson when he was playing the best basketball of his career during the second half of last season. He was in the best shape of his career and it was the most impact he’s made on both ends of the court.

If he picks up where he left off and performs at the same level next season, New Orleans will be one of the wild cards in the Western Conference. Of course, he has to stay healthy. If he can’t, the Pelicans will be right back in the lottery next summer …

However, I’d also expect this regime to have far less patience with Williamson if he doesn’t stay on the right path or if injuries become an issue again.”

The Pelicans sit in a fascinating place with Williamson, and it’s not an easy situation to navigate. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it will define most of their near future.