Hornets Prefer Different Trade With Pelicans Over Zion Williamson Deal, per Report

Charlotte is reportedly interested in a different package from New Orleans.

While the Pelicans are reportedly open to trading star Zion Williamson to the Hornets to move up in the NBA draft and select G-League standout Scoot Henderson, Charlotte reportedly has another New Orleans star in mind.

Currently, Charlotte owns the No. 2 pick and it is widely expected that Henderson will be selected in the top three of next week’s draft. However, in a Friday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Charlotte is interested in acquiring Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans’ selection at No. 14 in exchange for its pick at No. 2.

“I don’t know if the Hornets would want Zion Williamson,” Charania said on the show. “I think who the Hornets want from what I heard was Brandon Ingram.”

"To my knowledge the Pelicans haven't called the Hornets and offered Zion for the number two pick..

The Pelicans want Scoot Henderson and I'm told that the Hornets would want Brandon Ingram" ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/xsSv6YnYYA

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 16, 2023

Ingram is coming off of a 2022–23 campaign where he averaged career highs in points (24.7), free throw percentage (88.2%) and assists (5.8) per game. The 25-year-old has also played in 413 games in his career and has appeared in an average of nearly 59 games each season of his seven-year NBA career.

On the other hand, Williamson has been limited to 114 out of a possible 318 regular season games during his four-year career. He missed the entire 2021–22 season to recover from foot surgery and played in only 29 games last season due to a hamstring injury.

However, when Williamson is active, he is a dominant force. Last season, the two-time All-Star averaged 26 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 60.8% from the floor.

While it is possible that New Orleans could stack its No. 14 pick along with Williamson for a chance to select Henderson, the scenario still doesn’t seem likely at the moment. Additionally, NBA insider Marc Stein reported earlier this week that the Pelicans were not as interested in dealing Ingram away to potentially select the combo guard.