Zion Williamson might have just gotten one step closer to hitting the trade block. And, theoretically speaking, he's a player that the Miami Heat should be interested in, at the right price.
Now that the New Orleans Pelicans have officially fired head coach Willie Green, you can't help but wonder what other changes could be on the horizon for the franchise. If they are ready for a fresh start, it wouldn't be that outlandish for the team to trade Zion, a player who has been in his fair share of trade whispers over the last two seasons.
As the Heat continues to wait on the right opportunity to go all-in on a star player, I'm sure a conversation about the potential pursuit of Zion will be had in the front office if that hasn't already happened yet.
Zion could be a fit as a potential star reclamation project. Even though he's been a dominant force, he's struggled to remain healthy and find his complete footing through the first few years in the NBA.
A change of scenery could benefit Zion at this point in his career, and the Heat could be a great landing spot. They have the culture, hard-working work ethic, and coaching staff in place that could get him back on the path toward greatness.
The next star trade market is beginning to develop
Whether the Pelicans will move to a point where they'd want to trade Zion remains to be seen, even if it's a pretty fair possibility. However, there's no question that the next star trade market is already beginning to develop.
Between the consistent whispers that are surrounding the likes of Trae Young and Ja Morant, and now possibly even Zion, an argument could be made that we're beginning to see the development of what could end up being the next big trade market.
Again, it's no guarantee that any of those teams will move to a point where they trade their star players, but every year, we see the slow development of the next big trade wave. Even though the trade deadline is still months away, we're beginning to see what big names could end up dominating the trade mill between now and February.
One thing we do know is that the Heat will factor into this market one way or another. How serious they'll be in pursuing any of these players is a fair question, but they will almost certainly explore this market.
At this point, you have to add Zion to the players that could slowly be inching onto the Heat's trade radar.