Why the Wizards’ Zion Williamson trade makes too much sense

It’s only a matter of time before New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson plays for another team, a Washington Wizards they should use it to advance their renewal.

The The Wizards are developing their young core as they lose enough games to ensure they keep their top eight protected first-round picks in 2026, but this season has shown they desperately need a point guard. They took advantage second-year guard Bub Carrington in that role, but has yet to show enough consistency to get the job done long-term.

The bright side is that the 20-year-old, who entered the NBA as a combo guard, still has plenty of time to adjust and improve. However, Washington ranks last in basketball with a 108.3 offensive rating (according to NBA Advanced Stats), which is one of the main reasons why he’s already lost nine games with 20-plus points and two with 19 despite only playing in 22 contests so far. It’s one thing to secure a lottery pick next summer, it’s another to waste valuable playing minutes for new talent like second-year center Alex Sarr, second-year wing Keeshon George and rookie guard Tre Johnson by constantly sitting him out.

The Wizards need to better thread the needle between meeting their draft cap goal and using losses in competition to help their young talent develop in the meantime. Acquiring a veteran point guard by the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline would help accomplish that, as their offense would improve with better facilitation.

Williamson is not a point guard, but they could get him from the Pelicans as compensation for absorbing his contract.

Option 1: Trade for Zion Williamson during the season

A conservative option would be to wait until after the 2026 NBA draft, when Washington would likely have players like Kansas point guard Darrin Peterson or Louisville point guard Mikel Brown Jr. But that would subject Sarah and company to an entire season without a consistent facilitator to give them open looks, as noted earlier.

Enter Dejounte Murray. The 29-year-old is recovering from an Achilles tear and is expected back around New Yearsaccording to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Sheamus with an update on Dejounte Murray stating he will likely return in late 2025.

pic.twitter.com/mc3BU0sZKT

— Justin (@ProPelsTalk) September 24, 2025

The Pelicans no longer need Murray after drafting Jeremiah Fears at No. 7 overall last summer, right after the Wizards took Johnson at No. 6. Fears is a position player, while Johnson is best off the ball, which is why Washington still needs a constant threat.

Here’s a trade that would work for both parties:

Wizards get:

• F Zion Williamson
• Mr. Dejounte Murray
• C Ives Missy
• Second round pick in 2030

Pelicans get:

• Mr. Bill
• F Chris Middleton
• Mr. Corey Kispert
• C Marvin Bagley III (not tradeable until Dec. 15)
• 2026 first round pick (worst of OKC, HOU or LAC)
• 2026 second round pick (via PHKS)
• 2027 second round pick

This deal would not only put a band-aid on the Wizards’ point guard issue, but would also bring them Missy as a long-term backup to Sarah. The 21-year-old finished last season with 9.1 points per game on 54.7 percent shooting to go along with 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes as a rookie, but his stats have dipped this year due to less playing time.

Meanwhile, Washington would move on from the oft-injured Koulibaly, who is eligible for an extension this offseason. The 21-year-old is the best perimeter defender on the team, but he’s at the position injury report again with an oblique strain after not reaching 65 games played in either of his first two seasons, according to the team’s social media. His shooting efficiency is also a concern, as he has dropped to 37.4 percent from the field (26.8 percent from 3-point range) after shooting 43.5 percent (34.6 percent from 3-point range) and 42.1 percent (28.1 percent from 3-point range) in each of the last two campaigns, respectively.

Additionally, the Wizards would take a low-risk bet on Williamson, who is averaging a career-high 24.6 points on 58.5 percent shooting (31.7 percent from 3-point range) with 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The 25-year-old has played more than 65 games in a season just once since entering the NBA in 2019 and is currently sidelined with an adductor ailment, but the remaining two and a half years of his contract are not guaranteed, according to Mike Workunov of The Athletic. He has to hit certain games played and benchmarks to get all the money he’s owed, so it wouldn’t hurt Washington’s pockets if his health doesn’t improve. If he did, he would add star power to an organization in need.

As for Murray, he averaged 17.5 points on 39.3 percent shooting (29.9 percent from 3-point range) with 6.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 31 games for New Orleans before going down last season. The former Washington Husky has a combined cap hit of $63.5 million over the next two seasons before picking up a $30.7 million player option in the 2027 offseason, but the Wizards could trade him after the upcoming draft if they land a point guard.

The Pelicans would get a first-round pick again after dealing the unprotected 2026 first to the Atlanta Hawks last summer for rookie center Derrick Quinn, though it will likely be late in the round at the pace the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-1) are. Adding Koulibaly to their young core would be risky, but his defense gives him enough upside to gamble.

Finally, Washington waived the expiring contracts of Middleton and Bagley, as well as Kispert make money work in this deal, according to Fanspo’s NBA Trade Machine.

Option 2: Trade for Zion Williamson after drafting a point guard

If the Wizards hold off on major changes this season and hire a point guard, they could still get Williamson to pass in the frontcourt. In that case, the Pelicans could keep Murray, and Washington could send a package for Williamson and Missy centered around Coulibaly.

On the other hand, Williamson’s deal would be redundant for the Wizards if they were to sign a premier like Duke’s Cameron Boozer, BIU’s AJ Dibantsa or North Carolina’s Caleb Love. If they get one of those prospects after doing option 1, they could try to trade Williamson before his contract expires.