The growing concern around Zion Williamson’s long-term availability has resurfaced at a difficult moment for the New Orleans Pelicans. With injuries piling up and the roster struggling to find stability, voices outside the organization have raised sharper questions.

One of those voices belongs to a former All-Star who believes the franchise may be nearing a necessary turning point.

Pelicans Face Uncomfortable Questions About Their Future Direction

During a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, Gilbert Arenas argued that New Orleans must reevaluate its commitment to Williamson after yet another setback.

The three-time All-Star said, “We need to go in a different direction. We can’t put all of our resources around Zion anymore if he can’t be healthy.” He added that while the team would ideally keep him as part of a frontcourt trio, “he just can’t stay healthy.”

“We can’t put all our resources around Zion anymore if he can’t be healthy.”@NoChillGilZero says the Pelicans need to go in a different direction away from Zion 💯 pic.twitter.com/8NHFSbsTwf

— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) December 6, 2025

Arenas’ comments came in the same week that, as PFSN’s Michael Kobrinsky reported five days ago, Williamson was ruled out for at least three weeks due to a grade 2 right hip adductor strain.

ESPN’s Shams Charania initially listed the injury as “right adductor soreness” before it was clarified as a more significant strain. The timeline places his re-evaluation around December 23, extending an early-season stretch in which he played only 10 of the Pelicans’ first 21 games.

Kobrinsky’s report also outlined how the injury occurred between games after Williamson logged 31 minutes against Golden State on November 29, then sat out the next night for rest. Two days later, Charania confirmed the strain.

This comes after he already missed eight games earlier in the month with a hamstring issue, highlighting a pattern the Pelicans can no longer ignore.

On Gil’s Arena, co host Josiah Johnson floated a conceptual framework for a possible shift, referencing “Zion and Herb Jones with fears for Jaren Jackson and Ja Morant,” prompting Arenas to reply, “You trading fears already?” Johnson continued by describing the idea of both teams moving on from players viewed as problematic assets that each side is interested in shedding.

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Meanwhile, Kobrinsky noted that New Orleans is dealing with extensive injuries beyond Williamson, including Jordan Poole, Herb Jones, and Dejounte Murray. With the Pelicans holding the league’s worst record at 3-20, the absence of their star pushes even more responsibility onto players like Trey Murphy III, Saddiq Bey, and rookie Derik Queen.

Arenas’ stance reflects the pressure created by that context. His argument hinges on capitalization: if New Orleans believes it has “two guys that are future stars,” as he put it, then the franchise must consider maximizing their growth rather than waiting through continued setbacks.