The Portland Trail Blazers have been seeking to trade the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft for an impact star to help Damian Lillard.
The New Orleans Pelicans reportedly have interest in trading into the top three picks to acquire G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson with Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram potentially available.
Lillard appears to like the idea of Williamson joining him in Rip City. At least, if liking a tweet calling for as much is to be taken seriously.
NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) posted a tweet on Sunday that quoted Bill Simmons as saying that Williamson is expected to have a new address by the end of the draft.
Someone going by the Twitter handle @YungHarridge replied with: “Get him to the blazers @Dame_Lillard.”
Damian Lillard liked a tweet calling for Zion Williamson to join him in Portland on June 20, 2023.
Lillard responded by liking the tweet.
Social media long ago became a place where many search for signs and meanings in anything someone famous retweets or likes. Often times, such actions prove to be meaningless.
But here, one could certainly surmise that Lillard is not against having Williamson as a teammate. And for good reason. But Williamson would come with a high risk factor.
Injuries have limited the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 to 113 games over four seasons. When healthy, however, Williamson is a force. For his career, he is averaging 25.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 60.5% from the field.
Over his final 14 games last season before a hamstring injury ultimately ended his season, Williamson put up 29.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest. The Pelicans were tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference (23-14) when Williamson left the lineup on Jan. 2 and proceeded to lose 13 of their next 16 games.
To be fair, Ingram missed most of January, as well.
Still, at 22, Williamson, remains on the upswing as a player. Nevertheless, he must prove he can remain healthy and in shape.
A healthy Williamson paired with Lillard and Jerami Grant would make the Blazers a threat in the Western Conference.
The Blazers must decide if he is worth the risk. Lillard, at the very least, appears to at least like the suggestion.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook). Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts