The Clippers should pursue a leaner Zion for a championship! A respected reporter advises the executives to go all-in and act before Adam Silver's punishment.

On September 24th, at the Pelicans media day, the visibly thinner Zion captured the spotlight. Reporter Tom Haberstroh recommends that the Clippers make a decisive move immediately by pursuing a trade for Zion. Below is the main content of his article —

Clippers president Frank is confronted with a pivotal choice. He is undoubtedly closely monitoring the league’s investigation into the team’s possible salary cap circumvention, while also assessing risks related to Kawhi Leonard’s alleged nominal role in the now-bankrupt Aspiration company and any potential team violations.

With every passing moment, evidence continues to accumulate, and the looming threat of NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s “punishment hammer” hangs heavily over the Clippers.

However, Frank could take an “extreme measure” to strike first — trading away all the team’s available first-round draft picks. The reasoning is straightforward: even if Silver eventually imposes penalties, the “hammer” is unlikely to fall in the short term. The investigation covers multiple allegations since 2021, with an extensive scope and scale, so it is reasonable for the league’s hired law firm to take a year or longer to reach a conclusion.

Sanctions such as draft pick forfeiture, player suspensions, and contract nullifications are all possible outcomes, but these might not be finalized until the 2026-27 season. This means Frank has an operational window in the 2025-26 season without facing immediate consequences.

Admittedly, the Clippers’ draft pick reserves are already limited: first-round picks for 2026 and 2028 have been traded away, 2027 and 2029 first-rounders involve swap rights, and currently, the team can only trade the 2030 and 2032 first-round picks along with the 2031 first-round swap rights.

This situation adds a highly dramatic variable to the entire scenario: will Frank dare to take this step?

If you are willing to accept the injury-prone Leonard, why not go all the way? From the Pelicans’ perspective, they have a new management led by Joe Dumars, who typically rebuilds by “clearing the roster” for a fresh start. Zion’s contract structure has unique advantages: unless he meets certain appearance and weight criteria, his salary is not fully guaranteed.

For the Pelicans, an unprotected first-round pick would be the core asset in this trade — this not only offers a fresh start under the Dumars era but also offsets the risk from trading an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to move up to the 13th pick in June and select Derek Quinn. From a salary matching standpoint, if the Clippers trade Bogdan Bogdanović and John Collins along with an unprotected first-round pick and draft swap rights, it fully complies with league rules.

In this trade scenario, the Clippers’ starting lineup would feature Beal, Harden, Leonard, Zion, and Zubac, with Paul, young Derek Jones, Dunn, Batum, and Brook Lopez coming off the bench. The Zion-Zubac frontcourt combo might face spacing challenges, but that’s exactly why Lopez was signed in the off-season — an elite spacing center who led all players over 7 feet tall in catch-and-shoot three-point percentage last season. When opponents try to guard Zion’s powerful drives, they face a dilemma: either allow Zion to attack the rim or leave Lopez open beyond the arc.

Besides Zion, Haberstroh also mentioned two other trade candidates: Ingram and Michael Porter Jr. Should the Clippers consider trading? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.