Zion Williamson Next Team Odds: “Fake News” on Trade Rumors?

Zion Williamson has played just 29 NBA games in the past two years. Yet he remains one of the most talked-about players. Trade rumors were rampant this offseason that the New Orleans Pelicans were willing to trade him for a top pick in the NBA Draft. Pelicans executive David Griffin went on record to dub these stories “manufactured.” But even with that, Zion Williamson’s next team odds remain a popular bet online.

Williamson Staying Put? Possibly Not

Williamson is staying with the Pelicans. At least, this is what the vice president of basketball operations, David Griffin, told SiriusXM earlier this month.

“As a society, this isn’t [just] true of sports, this is true across all platforms — reality doesn’t matter anymore. Generating clicks matters,” Griffin said regarding Williamson’s name being constantly brought up in NBA trade rumors. “So unfortunately for Zion, he’s just an oddity and somebody that people pay a great deal of attention to and manufacture a lot of stories around.”

Even with his strong words, it’s not a guarantee that Williamson will continue playing for the team that drafted him first overall. The recent Zion Williamson next team odds peg New Orleans as the +110 favorite to be his team in 2023-24. That’s an implied probability of 47.6%. Thus, there is greater than a 50% chance that Williamson leaves.

And it makes some sense, logically. Williamson has played just 114 games since he was drafted in 2019. He’s also missed both the playoffs and the play-in game. On top of that, he’s caught up in some off-court drama with a pornstar. Many speculate that Williamson has become too much of a liability despite his immense talent.

But moving Williamson is not that easy. He still has five years left on his deal that pays him an average of $39.4 million a season. Not many teams that can easily absorb that, and a Williamson trade will likely involve another high-earning star coming back the other way.

The Blockbuster Deal: Three-Team Swap is Ideal

The Zion Williamson next team odds peg Portland (+300) as the favorites to acquire the star forward. The Trail Blazers have a disgruntled superstar in Damian Lillard they hope to deal with the right offer. Lillard insists on playing for only Miami.

To make it work for the three parties, the Pelicans trade Williamson to the Trail Blazers, Portland sends Lillard to Miami, and the Heat send assets – namely Tyler Herro and/or Kyle Lowry – to New Orleans. Throw in more players, picks, and match salaries and teams get most of what they want.

Williamson can start fresh with a budding young team in Portland. He’ll form one of the most electric trios with Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. Anfernee Simons is also still just 24 and coming into his own. Meanwhile, Lillard goes to his team of choice and the Pelicans get back a scorer and a point guard with a championship pedigree.

Portland is also an ideal spot for Williamson, as the team is in no rush to contend. Williamson staying on the NBA injury report won’t hurt the team’s development. This is opposed to New Orleans, which is trying to win now and needs all hands on deck.

Williamson’s Other Suitors: New York or Houston

Behind the Trail Blazers are the Knicks (+450) and Rockets (+750) as Williamson’s next team. New York has long coveted Williamson and may already be blowing up Griffin’s phone inquiring about him. The Knicks may just offer star forward Julius Randle plus a collection of picks and prospects to entice NO.

And Houston should not be slept on. The Rockets have been aggressive this offseason and have already brought in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. The team has a rich group of young players who’d make intriguing trade pieces for Williamson.

For NBA betting Odds, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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