During his end-of-season media session last month, Zion Williamson expressed enthusiasm about the possibility of signing a long-term contract extension with the Pelicans this offseason.
However, a fully guaranteed maximum-salary offer is unlikely to be on the table for Williamson, according to Brian Windhorst, who said on ESPN’s Get Up (video link) that team ownership is expected to seek protections in any extension agreement.
“From what I have been told, the Pelicans at this point are not willing to offer a full five-year guaranteed deal,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “And a lot of it is flowing down from ownership. Gayle Benson, the owner, is also the owner of the New Orleans Saints and I have been told they are going to take a football-style, Saints-style mentality with this contract negotiation. They will offer him a huge contract, but will not guarantee all of it.
“If Zion accepts those terms and still protects himself and maybe gets $100-plus million guaranteed, he signs it and everything’s fine. If he doesn’t sign it and wants the full thing guaranteed, we could have some drama into the fall.”
A former No. 1 overall pick, Williamson missed the entire 2021/22 season while recovering from right foot surgery and has appeared in just 85 career games since entering the NBA in 2019. The 21-year-old has played at an All-Star level when healthy, averaging 25.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 31.7 minutes per contest.
Williamson’s situation has frequently been likened to the one Joel Embiid was in following his third year with the Sixers, a comparison Windhorst invoked during his appearance on Get Up.
Following Embiid’s third season, injuries had limited him to just 31 career games, but Philadelphia was confident enough in his superstar potential to offer him a five-year, maximum-salary extension that included injury protection. The deal was worth $146.45MM, but would have been guaranteed for as little as $84.2MM if Embiid sustained a “contractually agreed upon injury” and the 76ers waived him. Embiid, of course, stayed healthy enough and played at such a high level that the Sixers never considered the possibility of letting him go.
The Pelicans could take a similar route with Williamson, offering him a maximum-salary contract that includes a substantial guarantee while also giving the team an out if he continues to be impacted by injuries. As Windhorst notes, it remains to be seen whether Zion would be willing to accept such an offer now that he no longer has any restrictions related to his foot surgery.
While Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin figures to take the lead on negotiations with Williamson, Windhorst stresses that the desire to reduce the team’s risk is being driven more by the club’s owners than by the front office.
“From what I understand, it’s not even about the Pelicans, it’s about ownership,” Windhorst said. “It’s about them saying, “Look, we have to make decisions on football players all the time that we’re worried about their injuries. We’ll guarantee them a certain amount of money and if they play, they can have all the money.’ And that’s what’s going to be presented.”
As well they should be, but fact is they will. In fact they kinda have too. If not other teams will. U have lost Paul, Davis. My bet is, they give in
It’s not about wantng to short change him. It’s about motivating him. It’s about looking out for zion. It’s about what is best for Zion.
Andrew Wiggins ceiling is only all star starter AND championship
Zion ceiling is MVP and championship
Sillivan is ceiling not Yoda.
You missed the Zion less playoff run huh?
Paul hasn’t won anything since leaving. AD won a cheap title thanks to a 3 month layoff from the pandemic, but hasn’t come close to one since.
It would explain your diminishment of the 2020 playoffs, if you are unaffected by life in an asylum like some.
Saying CP & AD were not worth keeping because of a lack of titles is a stretch. The “governors” care about tickets sold, and fans like a winner and their heroes retained
Memphis: Zion, Devonte Graham
NOP: Bane, 22, 29, Brandon Clarke, Deanthony Melton, maybe a future 1st swap or 2.
Memphis
Tyus, Ja, Brooks, Zion, JJJ
Bench Adam’s, Konchar, Zaire Williams, Devonte Graham.
NO
CJ, Bane, Herb Jones, Ingram, JV
Bench
Nance, Murphy III, Melton, 8th pick, Jaxon Hayes, Alvarado, 22 and 29 (or who they are flipped for)
Memphis says F**K no
Ja, Zion and JJJ big 3 is amazing. Maybe Nance goes over to Memphis.
A generation of kids would grow up as lifelong Memphis fans if Ja and Zion were on the court together.
As excellent as Williamson has been while on the court, he has missed 141 games in three years
How about Lakers and Knicks?
Who will Pelicans pursue from Lakers and Knicks from Lakers and Knicks?
RJ and 2 Firsts for Zion
Horton Tucker and 2 Firsts for Zion
All unprotected Firsts
The bigger question is why would any team pursue a trade with the Lakers? There is no reason for New Orleans to pursue any kind of trade with LA. LA has nothing to offer.
Bron won a chip in 3 cities…he could go for 4 cities. Zion in Los Angeles makes some sense… fitness cultural city. Anything is possible. All kinds of possibilities. But Zion can’t get in basketball shape and stay in it around all that great food in Nawlins. So it would seem?
NO should trade him before he eats himself out the league.
Zion is a good dude…you can’t hardly blame him for digging Cajun & French Beinets. Heck I’d sock on 50 pounds living in Nawlins myself. He might need to go someplace with less great food and culture… someplace with more stress and not known for great food. OKC? Dallas? Minnesota? The Pelican cafeteria must be great! Maybe Ayton gotta get moved. Both Suns and Pelicans be more interesting teams with a Zion – Ayton swap.
Don’t you need to lose 200 pounds to begin with.
I’d actually argue not fully guaranteeing the contract would be a mistake. I realize he’s missed a lot of games, but this guy can also be dominant when healthy. I think you take the risk because what else do you do with the money? New Orleans is never going to be a hot free agent destination. And without him we’ve seen what they are: an eighth seed. They’ll be too good to draft anyone to improve, but not good enough to win a Championship.
you trade him for a better player and try to draft smarter
They drafted a generational talent and can’t think of any players you could get out in a trade that are better. So they did well there. Now it’s just a matter of is Benson being too cheap to pay him.
They drafted 3 generational talents and traded 2 so far.
Zion has not proven to be even top 50 player so far… That certainly cannot be ‘generational talent’ territory. Yet. If he can’t get into NBA basketball physical condition, his best bet would be linebacker or running back in NFL (no, not pending bankruptcy #2 USFL…rubber paychecks probably this year).
Smarter than picking Zion?!?!?
Get out of here, dude!
Of course he wants the biggest contract. HUGE goes with many bags of chips and BUST. He is a prime candidate for Dolan and the Knicks as he is the only owner I see doing something completely stupid like pay him.
Benson and maybe Robert Sarver are the only two owners stupid enough to not pay him.
Page the Knicks
Scenario 1: If you were buying a car that had a history of being in the shop half the time but the salesman said that all of the problems have been fixed. Do you even buy it? You most definitely demand some serious guarantees if you do buy it.
Scenario 2: 30 people are looking at the car described above. Buying this car will make you the most popular person in the city. Is there one person that takes a chance and buys it without any guarantees?
the 30 people cant get the car without you agreeing not to take it though. do they give you their old car for the ne cool car? do they offer you 2 smaller new cars for the cool car?
its up to you to decide what to do
Better add a personal chef to that contract. Make sure he stays under 260 LBs. Hope it goes well.
Would be interesting offseason if hes actually on the trade block.
There’s no need to sign or trade him. If he wants an “early extension” 0ffer, then give him one, with the back years of any offer being non-guaranteed. It’s understandable if he doesn’t want that, but he still as a year left and then becomes a RFA. If he gets hurt next year, he’s unlikely to command the same salary. If he doesn’t, NOP can match any offer – but if he plays a full year they’ll likely agree to the 5 year only they can give.
This is the way.
Agreed. Pelicans have no chance of losing him whatsoever. Zion can choose which option to take. It’s all up to him. If he wants max extension, he simply needs to play well next yr.
Your heart is in the right place, but Zion is unable to resist the fresh donuts and delicious cuisine running rampant in between Mardi Gras king cakes. He needs a change of scenery to work on basketball fitness. AD has an opposite issue. Nawlins might be the wrong stop for any eating disorders. Love both guys, but they both need fitness & nutrition bubbles with professional training and nutrition that matches the kind of coins tossed around for guys on the bench more than available to play.
Well shizz if they are going Saints style there’s gonna be a lotta waiving and stretching happening here soon !
Benson might find the NBA cap a bit harder to navigate
If Zion ain’t taking the deal is the right decision, no drama there… the dram is if the team ain’t offering the full guaranteed max, that is what causes drama in here, Zion not accepting that is just fine & right!
NO was finally turning the corner when they gave Phoenix a scare in the playoffs. They would be beyond stupid giving him an extension. His foot is cottage cheese from being built like an NFL TE while attempting to pounding the court for 82 games.
Yep, Shaq had to slim down to save his joints and extend his career. It’s not too late for Zion at only 21. It’s like having an addiction of any kind…enablers in your environment have to be isolated. In this case, it’s just delicious food everywhere around Louisiana coast…if you ever lived there, the hobby is everyone bragging their favorite restaurant is the best. It’s a fun contest. Trying it all out.
You keep talking about food… Getting hungry?
Everybody said Embriid would not last and he has done just fine. I think Zion would take the same contract. Time will tell.
Embiid didn’t have any motivation issues. He was willing to put in the work. No one questioned his love of the game either.
You might as well kiss Zion goodbye. Understandable that the pels have doubts but Zion gets the max on every team in the league. BI is out of there very quickly if and when that happens. Maybe CJ can get them to a 10 seed
To be fair, at the time of the draft, Zion was the consensus 1st overall pick. Zion, when healthy, has been playing at a dominant level. I think that they should pay Zion, but only if he agrees to lose weight as well as conditioning in the proper way. Zion is a freak of a basketball player, but is just too heavy for the things that he does. Take 20-30 pounds from his rookie weight and he would have been a monster. If Zion doesn’t agree, then provide protection with non -guaranteed money if he is injured for a substantial amount of time. If he doesn’t want that, then trade him elsewhere for a star player and picks.
Zion & AD are now both ‘unknowns’ on game availability. In AD’s case, terrible load management by Vogel, and potentially solvable. Zion? He’d be a dominant NFL linebacker or running back, tight end? He just might not be able to get his big body tuned to do the kind of sprinting and sudden stops & cuts on hardwood floors on pure physics equation alone. He almost needs like a Jamaican Track regimen or something radically different than that top heavy muscle bulk he’s handicapped when faster tall players has refs’ whistles nullifying his physical strength / mass advantages. He really has to decide quickly what he’s going to do that shapes his future. Darryl Dawkins faced similar criticism, but sold tickets doing monster dunks, stayed a bit more available than Zion to make his mark. Barkley probably best ‘fat man’ player, but when he was almost to finals in Philly, he slimmed down but was still a beast. The Barkley template minus ballooning up again is what I’d be trying to drill into Zion’s hungry munchie mind. But he really might not be suited for NBA. Barkley at least had innate instincts. Zion could develop them, but he’s a project…not a prodigy.
The problem with all the talk of Zion being dominant when healthy is how long does that hold up? If the injuries continue to pile up that athleticism won’t hold up forever. And without that insane athleticism, he doesn’t have much to offer. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s hardly a dominant player by the age of 30.
A tough call for ownership to make, but I would probably do the same thing. Pay the man but get some assurances in there.
Or wait until Cajun cooking bloats him to 320 lbs and have no trade value? Shop him. He needs distance from Nawlins. For Zion’s sake.