Assumptions:
Heat trade Jimmy for Beal
Pelicans get Cooper Flagg in the draft
Pelicans trade away BI & CJ in a deal like this
If New Orleans lucks out and gets the #1 pick, I vote you send Zion somewhere where he could realistically turn his career around and become an All-NBA guy thanks to Heat Culture. Miami hits a soft reset and focuses on a core duo of Herro and Zion with some amazing role players around them.
Heat
It seems as though the Jimmy Butler era in Miami is over. With Tyler Herro flourishing, I can see them getting off their current duo, and making one with a higher ceiling. Zion has had his issues in the past, but I legitimately believe in the guy. Whilst I am devasted that I probably won't be in New Orleans, I think that Zion can be an MVP-level player in Miami. While the media won't tell it to you, his conditioning isn't actually as big of an issue as it seems. Everybody who is anybody agrees that he went into this season in the best shape of his life, and just got unlucky with an injury.
The Heat have amazing secondary and tertiary pieces already in place with Herro, Jaquez, Jovic, Ware, Robinson, Highsmith etc. but just do not have an elite #1. I think Zion can legit be that for them for another decade. (Also pairing Zion with Ware would be deadly considering the latter's outside shot).
Obviously Beal is not a long-term piece but the Heat can either wait out his contract while letting him be a 4th or 5th option, or they can try to dump him to a bad team.
I know that the Heat love Bam, but you just cannot rely on him and Herro to contend at the top of the East. Unfortunately for Miami, they are too good to get a great pick, and not good enough to make noise in the playoffs. I say, buy low on a potential superstar and commit to Heat Culture making him amazing.
Lineup:
PG: Tyler Herro / Terry Rozier
SG: Bradley Beal / Haywood Highsmith
SF: Jaime Jaquez Jr. / Duncan Robinson
PF: Zion Williamson / Nikola Jovic
C: Kel'el Ware / Thomas Bryant / Asa Newell (2025 FRP)
Pelicans
The Zion Williamson experience appears to be over. I love Zion and think that had a few things gone differently, he could've been the city's savior. Just sucks that it didn't turn out. In this idea, Zion is replaced by Cooper Flagg who takes the mantle of budding superstar in NOLA. Hopefully he can stay healthy.
This trade is done with the assumption that New Orleans would hit a soft reset and focus around a new core of Murray, Herb, Murphy, along with the incoming duo of Flagg & Bam. Every member of that starting 5 has all-defence potential, and all of them have some playmaking ability with an elite shooter (Murphy) and 3 good to great shooters (Murray, Herb, Flagg). That is the recipe for success in the modern NBA. Defensive versatility, and spacing around a superstar.
Whether or not Flagg can live up to expectations is a definite question mark, but, I am ready to commit to it.
Also, as I said in the assumptions, this trade only happens if New Orleans also drops CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram as well. I think this trade is a good idea, but with it being so nebulous, the lineup below is definitely open to interpretation.
Lineup:
PG: Dejounte Murray / Tre Jones
SG: Herb Jones / Jordan Hawkins (6M)
SF: Trey Murphy III / Keldon Johnson
PF: Cooper Flagg / Rui Hachimura
C: Bam Adebayo / Yves Missi