Kendrick Perkins isn't cutting Zion Williamson slack anymore - "I would actually consider trading him this offseason"
Zion Williamson has played just 29 games this season after missing the entire 2021-2022 season. The New Orleans Pelicans star hasn't suited up since Jan. 2, and the team has gone 12-23 in that span, slipping to 12th in the Western Conference.
Despite the team announcing on Wednesday that he is cleared to resume basketball activities, Williamson will not return to the court for at least two weeks.
Given Williamson's injury struggles in his four seasons, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins said that he would look to trade Williamson if he was in the Pelicans' front office.
Medical Update on Zion Williamson:
Following a re-evaluation on his right hamstring strain, Zion Williamson has been cleared to return to on-court activities. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
"I would trade him," Perkins said on "NBA Today." "I would actually trade Zion. I would find someone and trade him because, again, you just asked the question about basically can you trust him to be your franchise guy? And since he came in the league, no, because you can't trust that he's going to be available on the floor.
"This is starting to be a trend. Every single season, we're like, 'Zion done lost weight, Zion looks healthy' then all of a sudden this happens. If I'm the Pelicans, I have Brandon Ingram, I have CJ McCollum, I have a bunch of young pieces that are over there playing extremely hard that have a bright future. I would actually consider trading him this offseason."
Check out Kendrick Perkins' comments on Zion Williamson below:
"I would actually trade Zion [Williamson]... Can you trust him to be your franchise guy? Since he came in he league, no. You can't trust that he's gonna be available on the floor... This is starting to be a trend."
—Kendrick Perkins, on Zion & Pelicans.
https://t.co/x8P9AHS6dd
While Zion Williamson's lack of availability has to be frustrating for the New Orleans Pelicans, he has proven to be a generational talent when healthy. Trading that kind of talent coming off of back-to-back injury prone seasons could be selling low.
However, despite making the 2019-20 All-Rookie team and being named an All-Star twice in four seasons, Williamson has played just 114 of a possible 298 games in the regular season. The No. 1 pick of the 2019 draft has also missed eight postseason games last season and this year's All-Star game with injuries.
Williamson has torn a meniscus, fractured his left ring finger, broken a foot and, this season, been sidelined by the hamstring injury. He also injured his knee at Duke and again in the Summer League before his rookie season.
How has Zion Williamson performed this season?
Zion Williamson has played at an All-NBA level while on the court this season. In 29 games, the New Orleans Pelicans star has averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Williamson has shot 60.8% from the field, 36.8% from 3-point range and 71.4% from the free-throw line.
Those numbers are in line with the superstar's career averages. Although he has played just 114 games through his first four seasons, Williamson has dominated when he is on the court.
Williamson has career averages of 25.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.6 apg, 0.9 spg and 0.6 bpg. Zion has shot 60.5% from the field, 34.3% from 3-point range and 69.1% from the free-throw line. While it is clear that Williamson has Hall of Fame potential, he will need to stay on the court to accomplish his goals.
Check out Zion Williamson's season highlights below: