Zion Lateef Williamson is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association. He plays the power forward position.
Zion Williamson: Update| Return| Current weight| Trade
Update:
The move is just the latest part of a teardown from interim Portland GM Joe Cronin. The Blazers traded Robert Covington and Norman Powell to the Los Angeles Clippers to help duck the luxury tax last week, and now, they’re giving up a franchise icon in yet another step toward a rebuild.
McCollum averaged 19 points per game in his eight seasons in Portland, but he never got the Blazers beyond the Western Conference Finals. Now, they appear to be retooling.
Return:
The Pelicans may be near the bottom of the Western Conference standings (they enter Tuesday in 10th, a half-game ahead of the Blazers), but they have acted as buyers throughout this trading period in an attempt to build a winning roster for the eventual return of Zion Williamson.
The Portland Trail Blazers are trading CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans for a package centered around Josh Hart and draft compensation, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. McCollum has spent his entire eight-year career sharing the Blazers backcourt with Damian Lillard, but is now set to move on to a New Orleans team desperate for his scoring punch.
Current Weight:
It’s a seven-player deal in total, with the Pelicans also receiving Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Blazers are getting Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky and Didi Louzada in the deal.
The Pelicans will also receive New Orleans’ 2022 first-round pick (with protections) and two future second-round selections, per Wojnarowski. The teams officially announced the deal on Tuesday night.
Trade:
McCollum’s acquisition may help one star, but it’s unclear how it will affect another. Lillard has been adamant about wanting to win in Portland, but the Blazers have now traded three of his four fellow opening day starters.
The fifth, Jusuf Nurkic, is also on the trading block due to his expiring contract. Portland is clearly angling toward a rebuild, but it isn’t clear what part Lillard will play in it. He has reportedly been open to the idea of the Blazers getting younger around him, but he will turn 32 in July.
