3-for-3 trade! The deal completely collapses! The worst team in the Western Conference is born.

Up to now this season, the Pelicans stand at 0-6, making them the sole undefeated team in the Western Conference and one of just two winless teams in the league, alongside the Nets in the East, who are also 0-6...

The Nets, as a rebuilding team, losing badly is understandable, but the Pelicans came into this season aiming for results. They even traded CJ McCollum, Olynyk, and a future second-round pick this summer to acquire Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the 40th pick in 2025 from the Wizards.

Additionally, the Pelicans signed the three-time champion big man Looney this summer for two years at $16 million.

By the way, Poole has become a bench player again for the Pelicans, coming off the bench for three consecutive games. So far this season, he averages 30.8 minutes, 18.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 turnovers per game, with shooting percentages of 37.6%, 35.8%, and 96.4%, clearly failing to take on the role as the team's key perimeter player and disappointing expectations.

In short, despite the Pelicans’ full-hearted efforts in trades and signings, the results have been deeply disappointing. Their head coach Willie Green is likely to be the first coach fired this season, or the team might just choose to tank and rebuild entirely.

Some passionate fans have suggested that the Pelicans could trade Zion while tanking, as next year’s draft class is expected to be a strong one, offering a chance to select a new cornerstone for the franchise.

In September this year, the American media outlet The Athletic released a mock draft for the 26th NBA draft class,with the top three prospects being versatile guard Dalen Peterson from Kansas, interior player Cameron Boozer from Duke, and wing AJ Dybantsa from BYU.

So far, the slimmed-down Zion has played in five of the Pelicans’ six games, averaging 31.4 minutes, 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.4 turnovers, and 2 steals per game. His inside shooting percentage is only 48.7%. His contract runs through the summer of 2028, but the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons are non-guaranteed.

The last two years of his contract being non-guaranteed means any team acquiring Zion would bear almost no risk. For example, if a team trades for this 2019 first overall pick mid-season and he underperforms, they could waive him next summer without penalty.

The so-called successor to LeBron James—won’t he fade from the NBA any faster than a 40-year-old LeBron?