The Pelicans are reportedly willing to trade Zion Williamson to move up in the draft for Scoot Henderson, who's expected to go in the first three picks next Thursday. Gator says if the Pelicans are willing to move him for the fifth overall pick, the Pistons should pull the trigger:
"I’d take him for that. Of course there’s going to be players taken in the draft after the top three that are going to be good players in the NBA, but do I trust that Troy Weaver can identify who that player is definitively? Or do I want to take a chance that I can get some healthy years out of Zion Williamson who, when healthy, is extraordinary?"
The No. 1 pick in 2019, Williamson is a two-time All-Star who averaged 26.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 29 games this season. But he missed the final three months with a hamstring injury, after missing all of last season due to foot surgery. He's signed through 2027-28 on a $195 million max extension.
Gator says if Zion is healthy, he's "the perfect complement to the rest of the players" on the Pistons' roster:
"You don’t need him to handle the basketball, you’re not asking him to shoot from the outside, but you want him to be a menace on the inside and put up over 20 points a game. He’s exactly what the Pistons could use. But with him, it’s not even oft-injured. This guy is trending toward Greg Oden territory."
For that reason, Karsch says he would avoid Zion, who "would be a younger version of what the Pistons got in Blake Griffin: they’ll be a lot of excitement and buzz and he’ll come to Detroit and be hurt and be a shadow of what he was."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker