Back on July 1, 2022, the New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson agreed to a lucrative contract extension that had the potential to be worth up to $231 million. It was a tricky situation, as Williamson is an All-Star level player when he’s on the floor, but his history of injuries and issues with his weight led to some reported conditions being put in the deal.
On the heels of Williamson only appearing in 29 games during the 2022-23 campaign, those conditions apparently came into effect. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic brought word that, due to Williamson’s inability to stay on the floor last season, the final three seasons on his contract — 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28 — are no longer fully guaranteed. But the good news for Williamson is that next season is, for now, left untouched, and he has a way to get the guarantees on those other years back based on “playing in enough games and hitting specific weigh-in checkpoints.”
The Pelicans also have protected themselves in case Williamson has any further significant issues with the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. If he suffers a fracture or a stress injury to that bone or the healed callus, or has what the contract calls a “hardware failure” related to the previous injury there, then half of his base salary for 2024-25 would no longer be guaranteed if the team released him.
The good news for both sides here is that Williamson has, to this point, been pretty durable during the 2023-24 campaign. He’s appeared in 23 of the team’s 28 games to this point, and while he’s come under criticism from folks like Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Stephen A. Smith, Williamson has managed to put up 22 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 30.5 minutes per game.