The Los Angeles Clippers may try to improve the roster after lucking into a top five draft pick in the recent NBA Draft lottery. Trading Ivica Zubac for the Indiana Pacers top four protected pick ended up paying off perfectly. The Clippers received their best-case scenario of the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. However, the franchise recently acquired Darius Garland, and most of the picks in their range are point guards.
Fadeaway World pitched the Clippers as the most realistic team to trade a high pick and named Zion Williamson as an ideal target:
“LA Clippers Receive: Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, John Collins (sign-and-trade), 2026 First-Round Pick (No. 5), 2029 First-Round Pick (PHI)
Williamson would fit into the starting power forward role perfectly and have the best team he’s ever been on with Leonard, Mathurin, and Garland also on the squad. Given Williamson’s price is more contentious, this formulation sees the Clippers send an additional first-round pick as part of a Collins sign-and-trade salary dump alongside Bogdanovic and Dunn instead of Konan-Niderhauser.”
The proposed trade may be overrating Williamson by requiring two first round draft picks. Clippers management would likely only give up this year’s pick and the role players that they don’t have as much use for moving forward.
Examining The Clippers Trade Package For Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans have failed to make the playoffs over the last few seasons with Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones, and Dejounte Murray providing a decent core on paper. Young assets Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears joining the roster last draft locked in more relevant names into rotation spots.
A trade may be ideal for a losing franchise to finally give up on Williamson and invest more in the other promising players around him. The Clippers sending Bogdan Bogodanovic, Kris Dunn, and John Collins would give them more depth to match the salary.
New Orleans would have a solid rotation to continue chasing for a playoff spot, while also adding a top five rookie to their roster. If the Pelicans were going to move Zion, the time is now with a package like this. Collins would provide minutes at power forward to easily replace Williamson’s rotation minutes with a new core.
Clippers Would Give Kawhi Leonard One More Run
The main reason for the Clippers to do a risky trade of sending a high draft pick for an injury prone player is the upside. Williamson usually looks like an All-Star caliber player when he’s healthy and on the court.
Unfortunately, that comes few and far in between due to the injury issues following him most seasons. The Clippers would be going all in on trusting Zion and Kawhi Leonard to both be healthy for another playoff run.
Leonard, Williamson, Garland, and Benedict Mathurin would present a new core of great offensive players to improve the offense. The Clippers would hope to develop Zion into the next face of the franchise if they can avoid his injuries keeping him off the court.
Clippers Trade Proposed To Take Risk On Zion Williamson