Overview
- Multiple executives said Wednesday the Pelicans will at least listen to offseason offers for Williamson.
- Williamson told Yahoo Sports he wants to stay in New Orleans yet accepts he could be traded, and a source close to him said the team has given no signal a move is near.
- By playing 59 games, he crossed a 51-game trigger that guarantees $25.3 million of his 2026–27 salary, a change that could narrow trade options, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.
- Trade talk intensified after New Orleans traded up to draft Derik Queen, whose fit with Williamson struggled, and that deal also sent an unprotected 2026 first to Atlanta that currently has a 32% top-four chance.
- A Western Conference executive described Williamson as a high-cost, borderline All-Star, a type many teams now avoid, which could cool his market.