The final three seasons of the contract of Zion Williamson with the New Orleans Pelicans are no longer guaranteed. By missing more than 22 games last season, Williamson triggered a clause in his contract that turns his salary for 25-26, 26-27 and 27-28 from guaranteed to non-guaranteed.
The Pelicans could theoretically waive Williamson after the 24-25 season without any financial ramifications. The odds of that are fairly slim barring an extreme set of circumstances.
The contract also has ways for Williamson to earn back the guarantees by playing in enough games and hitting specific weigh-in checkpoints.
Williamson signed a five-year, $197 million extension with the Pelicans in 2022.
The complex deal, key details of which were confirmed by six league sources on condition of anonymity, contained unusual measures taken by the Pelicans to directly connect guaranteed salary with games played.
Under the contract, the sum of Williamson’s weight in pounds and his body fat percentage must be less than 295. He was listed as weighing 285 pounds last season, meaning his body fat could not be higher than 10 percent.
