The New Orleans Pelicans are spiraling through one of the bleakest stretches in franchise history.

A dismal 2-15 record has already claimed the job of head coach Willie Green, and the team’s supposed cornerstone, Zion Williamson, continues to watch from the sideline rather than lead on the court.

As New Orleans prepares for its next game, the sense of disarray is unmistakable. Williamson sat out once again—this time against the Atlanta Hawks—further underscoring a season in which he has appeared in only seven contests.

Since entering the league as the top overall pick, persistent injuries have defined Williamson’s career. He managed just 30 games a year ago and has never played a complete NBA season. For a franchise starving for reliability, his repeated absences have become the central obstacle to any sustained progress.

That harsh reality led former NBA champion and current analyst Kendrick Perkins to issue a stark recommendation during a recent broadcast.

“Joe Dumars took a lot of heat on draft night but he got it right because that young man Queen is going to be special. If I’m the Pelicans I move on from Zion. Hand the keys over to Queen and Fears now.”

Perkins’ words are blunt and uncompromising, yet they echo a mounting sentiment that the Pelicans can no longer afford to build their future around a player whose availability remains perpetually in doubt. When Williamson does play, his explosive talent is undeniable, but those moments have grown so rare that the organization has struggled to establish any coherent identity.

With the losses mounting and the season rapidly slipping away, the idea of a major pivot—no matter how painful—is starting to feel less like an overreaction and more like the only realistic way forward.

For a franchise desperate to escape limbo, the question is no longer whether change is coming, but how drastic it will have to be.