What Might a Zion Williamson Trade Look Like for the Sixers?

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Zion Williamson is injured again.

In early December, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that Williamson had been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right hip adductor strain and would be sidelined indefinitely. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that he'll be re-evaluated toward the end of December, but it's currently unclear when he'll make it back onto the court.

Through his first six-plus NBA seasons, Williamson has now missed more games (273) than he has played (224). Even prior to his latest injury, Shamit Dua of In The N.O. Dua made the case that the Pelicans needed to move on from him. His rationale may sound hauntingly familiar to Sixers fans in particular.

"This isn’t about injuries anymore," Dua wrote. "You cannot build a coherent team, develop chemistry, or install systems when your central piece is a perpetual question mark. Coaches can’t plan for him. Teammates can’t build trust with him. The entire organization is forced into a holding pattern, waiting on one man’s availability. Even when he plays, the results haven’t moved the needle—this isn’t a team on the cusp of contention. It’s a team stuck in a slow, steady squeeze that drains the life out of every season."

Fortunately, the Pelicans built an escape hatch into Williamson's current contract. His $42.2 million salary in 2026-27 and $44.9 million salary in 2027-28 are fully non-guaranteed at the moment. If he passes weigh-ins throughout the season, 20 percent of his 2026-27 salary will become guaranteed. He'd need to play in at least 41 games any of the other 80 percent to become guaranteed, which is appearing increasingly unlikely.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Williamson currently has "next to no" trade value because of his injury history. Dua later reported that the Pelicans have yet to discuss Williamson, Trey Murphy III or Herb Jones in trade talks with other teams, although they may reach a point where they decide to move on given his inability to stay healthy.

If the Pelicans do put Williamson on the market, could the Sixers try to buy low on him? It's more complicated than it might seem on the surface.

Who Would the Sixers Have to Give Up?

Williamson is earning $39.4 million this season. The Pelicans are roughly $10 million under the $195.9 million first apron, so they are allowed to take back 125 percent of the salary they send out in any trade (plus $250,000), but they're only $1.9 million below the $187.9 million luxury-tax threshold. Seeing as the Pelicans are one of only two teams in the NBA that has never paid the luxury tax, they likely won't be interested in snapping that streak during another lost season.

That's where it starts to get tricky for the Sixers.

Tyrese Maxey ($38.0 million) would clearly be off-limits in any deal for Williamson. However, the Sixers only have two other comparable contracts on their books—Joel Embiid ($55.2 million) and Paul George ($51.7 million). The Pelicans would presumably have little interest in the oft-injured Embiid, who is set to begin a three-year $188.2 million max extension next season. One of their few bright spots this season is center Derik Queen, who just became the first rookie in NBA history to post a 30-point triple-double with four blocks in Monday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

So, that leaves a George-for-Williamson (plus salary filler) swap as the most likely framework between the Sixers and the Pelicans. George is in the second season of the four-year, $211.6 million contract that he signed last summer in free agency, which includes a $56.6 million player option in 2027-28 (his age-37 season).

Since Williamson's contract has a built-in escape hatch, the Pelicans would likely try to demand more from the Sixers than just George. They might want to offload the contract of Jordan Poole ($31.8 million) or Dejounte Murray ($30.8 million) while getting back additional assets. However, that would put the Pelicans' outgoing salary at roughly $70 million, and the Sixers don't have another hefty salary that they could include to balance out that trade.

The Pelicans could try asking for VJ Edgecombe ($11.1 million), but the Sixers should and likely would hang up the phone right away. Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million) has the right to veto any trade after signing his qualifying offer in October, which leaves Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.4 million) and Andre Drummond ($5.0 million) as their two biggest salaries otherwise.

If the Sixers included Oubre and Drummond with George in a deal for Williamson and one of Poole or Murray, they'd be adding roughly $5 million in salary to their books. However, they're currently less than $1.1 million below the first apron. Any team that takes back more salary than it sends out in a trade instantly gets hard-capped at the first apron, so the Sixers would either have to include even more salary or look to shed another contract elsewhere.

Since the Pelicans are so close to the tax line and the Sixers are so close to the first apron, they'd likely have to loop in a third team to help them both avoid running afoul of their respective financial restrictions. The Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz are both sitting on eight figures' worth of cap space and figure to be popular third-team possibilities in trade talks, but either the Sixers or Pelicans would have to incentivize them to participate.

If the Pelicans were willing to acquire Embiid in a swap for Williamson, the Sixers would have to seriously consider it. Unless they're confident that Embiid can eventually resemble his past self at some point, his contract will be an anchor around their necks for the next few seasons. If Williamson couldn't stay healthy following his arrival in Philadelphia, the Sixers could just waive him next summer and treat him as a get-out-of-Embiid's-contract-free card.

But since George would likely be the outgoing salary, the Sixers would be better off waiting and pursuing other opportunities, particularly given the volume of big-name talents who could be on the move in the coming months.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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