He has never played in the playoffs throughout his career! Zion responds to the future: I could be traded, that's the reality.

On April 2 Beijing time, Pelicans star Zion Williamson did not ignore the external rumors but faced them openly. In an interview with Yahoo Sports reporter Yaron Weitzman, Zion discussed the possibility of being traded during this offseason.

"New Orleans is my home, I want to stay here," Zion stated, "but honestly, the NBA is a business. I could be traded in the offseason, or I could be moved before the trade deadline next season. I don't want that, but that's the reality."

This statement is quite straightforward.

As the 2019 NBA draft's top pick, Zion has never played in the playoffs to date, mainly due to recurring injuries. However, whenever he is able to play, his performance remains efficient, averaging 21.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists this season.

The Pelicans have missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Consequently, questions about his future naturally persist.

"The key now is to find the team's identity," Zion said. "We know our goals and how we need to grow... I feel we are moving in the right direction, because right now we can only control what we can control."

The team internally still maintains confidence. The Pelicans possess a young core roster including Trey Murphy III, Derek Quin, Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Saddiq Bey.

The roster looks good on paper, but the actual results have not materialized so far.

Zion is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, with a salary of $42.2 million next season, and his contract does not include a trade veto clause. This means the door for him to be traded is completely open.

"I feel I have proven enough this year that I can maintain this level of performance," Zion said. "Even when I suffered an injury... I only missed two weeks and returned, then played continuously for a long period afterward."

This might be the most crucial point: his on-court performance has never been the issue; the problem has always been elsewhere.