I would hold onto AD this summer unless some other team absolutely blows me away.
I'd want to at least leave open the possibility that Zion is a truly transcendent talent and that AD decides to stick around for at least a little while to see if they can contend with that group.
Why would you that when you only have a Yr left of AD.. The longer you wait, the lesser the value because the season is progressing.. What kind of contention is that when your next best player is a rookie.. It does not make sense to hold on to AD when you can trade him for Tatum/ Brown or to any other team whom you can get a very young all star potential player which will likely be in line with Zion's age.
Trading AD is still the best way for the Pelicans.. The price even got better actually.
New Orleans is one of the weakest markets in the league.
You already have a franchise superstar, albeit only under contract for one year.
You've got a supporting All-Star caliber guard under contract.
Now you just won the lottery and will have the ability to draft a guy that many regard as one of the best draft prospects of the last 10-15 years.
Wouldn't you want to at least try to see how those guys could look together?
What we need to remember is that the Pelicans are going to want to remain as relevant and competitive as possible. They don't want to sell off all their veterans and go super young just because they're gonna have Zion. I am sure they're hoping that Zion can be the rare rookie who comes in and immediately makes a positive impact on winning.