Would Zion Williamson Be Worth the Risk for the Miami Heat?
In the ongoing saga surrounding potential Miami Heat offseason pickups, more star names seem to be turning into available options for the team. I’ve covered some other potential options for the team this offseason, but I’m not sure any of them would come with the same amount of controversy that adding Zion Williamson would have. The New Orleans power forward has had a career that has shown tons of promise and dominance that was expected of him coming out of Duke, but he’s also spent a bunch of his career on the sidelines due to persistent injuries. This begs the question of whether it is worth it for the Miami Heat to pursue Zion Williamson.
Zion Williamson is a really good basketball player when he’s on the court, and there’s no doubt about it. At six feet six and 284 pounds, Zion is a beast and imposes his will against pretty much any defender in his way. He has extreme athleticism for someone his size, and it shows in fast breaks or on defense when he blocks shots. His three-point shooting hit a big slump last season, but for a guy with as much talent as him, having that shot available at all will always be a net positive. The Miami Heat would get a player with all of those skills, and he would make this team better if he were on the court. The major problem with Zion is that it’s a big if when it comes to his availability on the court.
Zion played in only 30 games in the 2024-2025 season after dealing with hamstring and back injuries. These two injuries are often very hard to overcome and tend to linger for the duration of an athlete's career. This isn’t to mention the foot injury that required surgery and had him miss all of the 2021-2022 season. The Heat need a star that will be on the court and can’t risk losing valuable assets for someone who won’t be there when they need him the most. Zion is also dealing with some legal issues that could possibly be another contributor to his being away from the game.
Zion has three years left on his five-year, $197,230,450 guaranteed contract. That’s a lot of money being invested in a guy that might not even play, that could go to multiple solid contributors or even a more reliable star player. Pat Riley is a very strategic and oftentimes picky executive, and I doubt he would take the risk in a situation like this. If the price were to become too good to be true, I can see the Heat buying into a one-year experiment to see how it will play out for them, but I have my doubts that the Pelicans would be willing to dump Zion for cheap. For these reasons, I think the Miami Heat should pass on Zion if he becomes available, as the risk does not seem to match the reward.
