Zion Williamson, hear me out!

[GreenEnvy]

Think cost is main issue, three first is just starting a conversation.

Would a team be willing to go above and beyond 3 firsts for him? Besides his durability, can we even say he?s gotten better since his rookie season? He?s also not on a bargain contract.

[johnnygreen]

After what the Celtics went through this past offseason, do you really think this team wants to add a third max contract? If they ever consider a trade for Zion, either Jaylen or Jayson would have to be part of the deal. And based on Zion's health issues, that's not happening.

[Roy H.]

After what the Celtics went through this past offseason, do you really think this team wants to add a third max contract? If they ever consider a trade for Zion, either Jaylen or Jayson would have to be part of the deal. And based on Zion's health issues, that's not happening.

Not necessarily.  Zion's contract is fairly modest / non-guaranteed, and salary wise for this year, we'd be below the first apron.

It's more the 1st rounders that give me pause.  But, other teams are trading five #1s for guys like Bridges and Bane, so packaging three firsts (26, 28, 30) for Zion wouldn't necessarily be the end of the world.

I'm not "all-in" on the deal, but if Brad thought the risk was worth it, I'd be on board.

/ Queta
Zion
Tatum
Brown
White / Pritchard

We'd have a depth problem, but hopefully some of our roster fodder can take a step forward.

[Csfan1984]

I think Pelicans are 1st apron hardcaped so maybe players would be Simmons, Hauser, Gonzo then three first.

Pelicans won't take on more salary and Gonzo is a easier sell to fans than other players in that salary bracket.

[lbgreen33]

After what the Celtics went through this past offseason, do you really think this team wants to add a third max contract? If they ever consider a trade for Zion, either Jaylen or Jayson would have to be part of the deal. And based on Zion's health issues, that's not happening.

Not necessarily.  Zion's contract is fairly modest / non-guaranteed, and salary wise for this year, we'd be below the first apron.

It's more the 1st rounders that give me pause.  But, other teams are trading five #1s for guys like Bridges and Bane, so packaging three firsts (26, 28, 30) for Zion wouldn't necessarily be the end of the world.

I'm not "all-in" on the deal, but if Brad thought the risk was worth it, I'd be on board.

/ Queta
Zion
Tatum
Brown
White / Pritchard

We'd have a depth problem, but hopefully some of our roster fodder can take a step forward.

I think Roy nailed it here. Like I said the main reason I would do it is because the last 3 years of his contract are Not guaranteed because of how many games he missed.
That is the key to this for me.

[Vermont Green]

If Zion's market value is really 3 firsts and decent players to match salary with, then I am out.  Let someone else take their chances with him.  A very likely outcome for whoever holds his contract is that you end up waiving the non-guaranteed portions of his contact and he becomes a FA.

Simons and Hauser are both useful players, and then maybe throw in Hugo Gonzalez and 3 firsts?  For a player who very realistically could be the next Ben Simmons?  Sure, you can get out of paying the balance of his contract but you are still out the 3 picks and the decent players.  Way too much risk for me.

[ozgod]

The question is really would New Orleans do it for that offer. I'm guessing now because when healthy Zion is a player that could transform a franchise. The price will end up being too high when you consider the injury risk.

[boscel33]

Seems to my, why not!

Porzingis, when healthy, is great.
Zion, when healthy, is great.

We tried it once, got about a year out of Porzingis, but won a title.  Why not try again!

[Smartacus]

From an injection of talent into the Jays perspective, I am not sure that there?s a better option. Zion is in his physical prime, on the same clock as Tatum and Brown, and is a mismatch generating machine. If he could ever be healthy enough around playoff time, his presence alonewould dictate how the opposing team would operate in a series.

Tatum and Brown have years of tape playing with each other for opposing teams to dissect and IMO sometimes get bored running the same sets for the better part of a decade. Adding Zion could revitalize everything.

[Vermont Green]

Seems to my, why not!

Porzingis, when healthy, is great.
Zion, when healthy, is great.

We tried it once, got about a year out of Porzingis, but won a title.  Why not try again!

I agree that Zion could be another Porzingis.  The difference is what you have to give up.  Remember the Porzingis trade:

BOS Out:
Smart
Gallinari
Mucala
2023 2nd rd pick (#35)

BOS In:
Porzingis
No. 25 pick in 2023 Draft
2024 first-round pick

So we gave up Smart, a good 2nd, and garbage and got Porzingis AND two firsts.  Now the talk is that it would take Simons, Hauser and 3 firsts to get Zion.  On court, Zion probably is a little better or has a higher ceiling than Porzingis.  But there were no off court issues with Porzingis like there is with Zion.  Zion has additional risks beyond just actual durability.  He could be the next Ben Simmons due to off court issues.  I like Zion the player, there are deals that I would do, but due to the risks, I feel that is way too much to give up.

I had to look it up but NOP just traded for Jordan Poole.  Having both Poole and Simons makes no sense so this trade seems unlikely in any case.

[Goldstar88]

Seems to my, why not!

Porzingis, when healthy, is great.
Zion, when healthy, is great.

We tried it once, got about a year out of Porzingis, but won a title.  Why not try again!

I agree that Zion could be another Porzingis.  The difference is what you have to give up.  Remember the Porzingis trade:

BOS Out:
Smart
Gallinari
Mucala
2023 2nd rd pick (#35)

BOS In:
Porzingis
No. 25 pick in 2023 Draft
2024 first-round pick

So we gave up Smart, a good 2nd, and garbage and got Porzingis AND two firsts.  Now the talk is that it would take Simons, Hauser and 3 firsts to get Zion.  On court, Zion probably is a little better or has a higher ceiling than Porzingis.  But there were no off court issues with Porzingis like there is with Zion.  Zion has additional risks beyond just actual durability.  He could be the next Ben Simmons due to off court issues.  I like Zion the player, there are deals that I would do, but due to the risks, I feel that is way too much to give up.

I had to look it up but NOP just traded for Jordan Poole.  Having both Poole and Simons makes no sense so this trade seems unlikely in any case.

What ?off court? issues were there with Zion. I mean, he?s been off the court with injuries if that?s what  you mean. He also didn?t take care of his body very well in past years.

[Vermont Green]

Seems to my, why not!

Porzingis, when healthy, is great.
Zion, when healthy, is great.

We tried it once, got about a year out of Porzingis, but won a title.  Why not try again!

I agree that Zion could be another Porzingis.  The difference is what you have to give up.  Remember the Porzingis trade:

BOS Out:
Smart
Gallinari
Mucala
2023 2nd rd pick (#35)

BOS In:
Porzingis
No. 25 pick in 2023 Draft
2024 first-round pick

So we gave up Smart, a good 2nd, and garbage and got Porzingis AND two firsts.  Now the talk is that it would take Simons, Hauser and 3 firsts to get Zion.  On court, Zion probably is a little better or has a higher ceiling than Porzingis.  But there were no off court issues with Porzingis like there is with Zion.  Zion has additional risks beyond just actual durability.  He could be the next Ben Simmons due to off court issues.  I like Zion the player, there are deals that I would do, but due to the risks, I feel that is way too much to give up.

I had to look it up but NOP just traded for Jordan Poole.  Having both Poole and Simons makes no sense so this trade seems unlikely in any case.

What "off court" issues were there with Zion. I mean, he's been off the court with injuries if that's what  you mean. He also didn't take care of his body very well in past years.

I don't know the specifics but my understanding is that there have been off court issues in the past.  If you were sure he was past all this, and it was only about physical durability, I would be more open to trading for him, and maybe that is the case.  This just all goes into the risk-reward equation.  You have to assess all the risks before you give up a load of first round picks for someone.  I don't know what is going on or if the prior issues remain, but I sure hope the Celtics are very sure before trading for him.

From Aug 9, 2025

"Real quick on New Orleans, there's still the, 'Hey, what's up with Zion? Is this a guy you're building around? Is this a guy you can get value for?' " MacMahon said.

"There remains off-court stuff," Windhorst chimed in.

"Yeah, there's just not a lot of clarity in general there," Bontemps replied.

Williamson had a recent legal issue, where he was sued for rape and abuse allegations, along with complaints last season that he has not been taking care of himself off the court and is not staying in shape. At one point last season, the Pelicans even suspended Williamson for a game for violating team policies.

[Goldstar88]

Seems to my, why not!

Porzingis, when healthy, is great.
Zion, when healthy, is great.

We tried it once, got about a year out of Porzingis, but won a title.  Why not try again!

I agree that Zion could be another Porzingis.  The difference is what you have to give up.  Remember the Porzingis trade:

BOS Out:
Smart
Gallinari
Mucala
2023 2nd rd pick (#35)

BOS In:
Porzingis
No. 25 pick in 2023 Draft
2024 first-round pick

So we gave up Smart, a good 2nd, and garbage and got Porzingis AND two firsts.  Now the talk is that it would take Simons, Hauser and 3 firsts to get Zion.  On court, Zion probably is a little better or has a higher ceiling than Porzingis.  But there were no off court issues with Porzingis like there is with Zion.  Zion has additional risks beyond just actual durability.  He could be the next Ben Simmons due to off court issues.  I like Zion the player, there are deals that I would do, but due to the risks, I feel that is way too much to give up.

I had to look it up but NOP just traded for Jordan Poole.  Having both Poole and Simons makes no sense so this trade seems unlikely in any case.

What "off court" issues were there with Zion. I mean, he's been off the court with injuries if that's what  you mean. He also didn't take care of his body very well in past years.

I don't know the specifics but my understanding is that there have been off court issues in the past.  If you were sure he was past all this, and it was only about physical durability, I would be more open to trading for him, and maybe that is the case.  This just all goes into the risk-reward equation.  You have to assess all the risks before you give up a load of first round picks for someone.  I don't know what is going on or if the prior issues remain, but I sure hope the Celtics are very sure before trading for him.

From Aug 9, 2025

"Real quick on New Orleans, there's still the, 'Hey, what's up with Zion? Is this a guy you're building around? Is this a guy you can get value for?' " MacMahon said.

"There remains off-court stuff," Windhorst chimed in.

"Yeah, there's just not a lot of clarity in general there," Bontemps replied.

Williamson had a recent legal issue, where he was sued for rape and abuse allegations, along with complaints last season that he has not been taking care of himself off the court and is not staying in shape. At one point last season, the Pelicans even suspended Williamson for a game for violating team policies.

The Pelicans owner doesn?t seem to believe that its true. Here?s what they had to say along with his attorney.

NEW ORLEANS
Benson spoke briefly about the matter on Tuesday, saying, you know, lawsuits are lawsuits. I mean you really can't, you know...people can sue you for anything, there's no, there's no reason, you can be innocent or not, so it's just something that people do unfortunately.

Statement: We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them. The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless. This is the plaintiffs third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.

[Vermont Green]

Seems to my, why not!

Porzingis, when healthy, is great.
Zion, when healthy, is great.

We tried it once, got about a year out of Porzingis, but won a title.  Why not try again!

I agree that Zion could be another Porzingis.  The difference is what you have to give up.  Remember the Porzingis trade:

BOS Out:
Smart
Gallinari
Mucala
2023 2nd rd pick (#35)

BOS In:
Porzingis
No. 25 pick in 2023 Draft
2024 first-round pick

So we gave up Smart, a good 2nd, and garbage and got Porzingis AND two firsts.  Now the talk is that it would take Simons, Hauser and 3 firsts to get Zion.  On court, Zion probably is a little better or has a higher ceiling than Porzingis.  But there were no off court issues with Porzingis like there is with Zion.  Zion has additional risks beyond just actual durability.  He could be the next Ben Simmons due to off court issues.  I like Zion the player, there are deals that I would do, but due to the risks, I feel that is way too much to give up.

I had to look it up but NOP just traded for Jordan Poole.  Having both Poole and Simons makes no sense so this trade seems unlikely in any case.

What "off court" issues were there with Zion. I mean, he's been off the court with injuries if that's what  you mean. He also didn't take care of his body very well in past years.

I don't know the specifics but my understanding is that there have been off court issues in the past.  If you were sure he was past all this, and it was only about physical durability, I would be more open to trading for him, and maybe that is the case.  This just all goes into the risk-reward equation.  You have to assess all the risks before you give up a load of first round picks for someone.  I don't know what is going on or if the prior issues remain, but I sure hope the Celtics are very sure before trading for him.

From Aug 9, 2025

"Real quick on New Orleans, there's still the, 'Hey, what's up with Zion? Is this a guy you're building around? Is this a guy you can get value for?' " MacMahon said.

"There remains off-court stuff," Windhorst chimed in.

"Yeah, there's just not a lot of clarity in general there," Bontemps replied.

Williamson had a recent legal issue, where he was sued for rape and abuse allegations, along with complaints last season that he has not been taking care of himself off the court and is not staying in shape. At one point last season, the Pelicans even suspended Williamson for a game for violating team policies.

The Pelicans owner doesn?t seem to believe that its true. Here?s what they had to say along with his attorney.

NEW ORLEANS
Benson spoke briefly about the matter on Tuesday, saying, you know, lawsuits are lawsuits. I mean you really can't, you know...people can sue you for anything, there's no, there's no reason, you can be innocent or not, so it's just something that people do unfortunately.

Statement: We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them. The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless. This is the plaintiffs third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.

I don't know what is going on, I was just relaying "reports".  Based on what I have seen of him these first 7 seasons, I think it is reasonable to have concerns.  Maybe that is all in the past, or wasn't much of anything in the first place, I don't know, I have no way to know.  But I do know that he has wasted 7 seasons so far and to me, that is cause for concern.  I trust the Celtics to do their due diligence, if there is actually any trade interest here.  But right now, my enthusiasm for Zion is tempered.