Veteran writer rebuffs idea of Chicago Bulls trading for Zion Williamson

Trading for Zion right now may not be the smartest move.

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA offseason often gives life to far-fetched trade ideas, but one veteran NBA writer is not picking up what some people are putting down. Longtime Chicago Bulls inside Sam Smith recently had a mailbag session when a fan proposed a trade involving All-Star wingman Zach LaVine and New Orleans' controversial power forward Zion Williamson. Smith, who has covered the Bulls for decades, adamantly shot down the idea, saying the baggage that Williamson would bring right now is not what Chicago needs to successfully reclaim its spot amongst the league's elite.

Three-team trade scenario

The proposed deal had the Bulls sending LaVine to the Portland Trail Blazers, the third pick to New Orleans, and Williamson to the Bulls. As talented of a player Williamson is, he hasn't been on the court long enough to positively impact the Pelicans in the three seasons he's been in the league. As a matter of fact, after missing the entire 2021-2022 season due to a foot injury, he then played just 29 games this season due to various issues.

"Let's see, we can add those paternity issues to rarely playing due to injury, (29 games played in the last 164; played in 37 percent of his team's games in his career) doesn't seem to take training very seriously as he looked overweight in that soda commercial with Zach, and the torque he puts on his joints given the way he plays suggests a short career. That's the plan?" Smith wrote.

Controversial offseason

Zion hasn't helped himself either by getting caught in a controversy involving an adult film star, Moriah Mills, who recently threatened to release raunchy footage if the power forward isn't traded soon. Safe to say, this isn't the kind of attention any team would want their star player to attract. This only added to the idea that Zion could end up in a different uniform soon, and some experts believe it's more than just idle chatter.