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New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson has begun the return-to-play conditioning phase of his rehab process and is expected to return to full practice next week at the start of 2025, the team announced on Tuesday.
At this time, Williamson is still week-to-week moving forward and won't be fully cleared until the team can evaluate his progress during practice.
Williamson has not played for New Orleans since suffering a hamstring injury on Nov. 6 in the team's 131-122 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since then, the Pelicans have posted a 2-19 record without Zion on the court.
Whether or not Williamson would be able to return before the All-Star break in February has been a key talking point around the league given his extensive injury history in New Orleans. As he has continued to progress and heal from his hamstring injury, the Pelicans have remained optimistic about the star's chances of rejoining the team shortly after the start of the new year.
With Williamson expected to return to practice in the coming week, it appears likely that he will make his return to real-game action sometime in January. Zion still faces some roadblocks and obstacles in order to be fully cleared and take the floor with the Pelicans once more.
At the same time, Williamson's future in New Orleans is a major question mark heading into the new year. This is especially true with the Feb. 6 trade deal inching closer and the Pelicans holding a 5-25 record, the worst in the Western Conference.
Latest Zion Williamson trade rumors
New Orleans is going to be open for business ahead of the trade deadline. With their chances of making the playoffs slim to none, the Pelicans are open to hearing all trade offers that come their way, including those involving Williamson and fellow star forward Brandon Ingram.
It is worth noting that Ingram is currently recovering from an ankle injury and remains in the early treatment period of his recovery process. He will be re-examined in approximately two weeks.
Given his injury history with the team and uncertainty of remaining on the court, Williamson is going to see his name in plenty of trade rumors over the next several weeks. There are no immediate trade conversations being held for Zion at this very moment, but a clean bill of health and his return to the court in actual games will result in there being a level of interest around the league in the former first-overall pick.
After all, the 24-year-old has certain non-guaranteed and guaranteed clauses in his contract, making the $197 million deal he currently owns voidable in certain instances. Regardless of if he is traded or not this season, there are certainly major question marks surrounding Zion's future with the Pelicans past the 2024-25 season.
