New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson signed a five-year, $197.23 million contract in July 2022, and his deal is reportedly “no longer guaranteed” after the two-time All-Star made only 29 appearances last season.
According to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, the final three years of Williamson’s deal are no longer guaranteed after he missed over 50 games in the 2022-23 season. A minimum of 65 games is required to be eligible for awards and honors.
Per a few NBA betting sites, the Pelicans hold 15th-ranked odds to win this season’s championship. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings.
After missing 22+ games last season, the last three years of Zion Williamson’s contract are no longer guaranteed by the Pelicans, per @TheAthletic.
The team can waive him after the 2024-2025 season without any financial blowback 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZA2qoaw3Tx
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) December 21, 2023
Injuries have taken a toll on Williamson’s NBA career. Knee, foot, and hamstring injuries limited him to 114 appearances in his first three seasons. Including his fourth season, he’s missed 199 regular-season contests and all six of the Pelicans’ playoff games since 2019.
By missing more than 22 games last season, Williamson triggered a nonguaranteed clause for the salary he is owed in the 2025-26 ($39.44 million), 2026-27 ($42.16 million), and 2027-28 ($44.88 million) seasons.
New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson has missed 199 regular-season games, all six playoff games since 2019
In other words, the Pelicans could very well waive the 6-foot-6 wing after the 2024-25 season with no financial ramifications. If Williamson misses a similar number of games this season, it could cut into his guaranteed salary for 2024-25.
Another factor that will determine whether or not he sees any of that money is his own body weight. Williamson is at risk of losing even more in guarantees if he doesn’t meet the set NBA weight limit in his deal.
In his 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. So, his body fat could not be higher than 10 percent.
NEW: Details by @MikeVorkunov state that the 2025-2027 seasons ($126.5M) of Zion Williamson’s 5 year extension with the #Pelicans are now non-guaranteed. Zion can however re-guarantee those salaries by hitting a few upcoming checkpoints.
Updated Contract: https://t.co/cZQzYBpVPy pic.twitter.com/hot3lM3idN
— Spotrac (@spotrac) December 21, 2023
The average weight of an NBA guard in today’s game is 198 pounds, followed by 222 pounds for forwards, and 251 pounds for centers, according to the Basketball-Reference database.
Fortunately for Williamson, all is not lost. His contract will allow him to earn back the guarantees by playing in a sufficient number of games and hitting specific weigh-in checkpoints.
Through 23 starts this season, he’s averaging 22 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. Plus, he’s shooting 57.8% from the floor and 65.2% at the foul line.
Will Zion Williamson appear in at least 65 games this season? The Duke product hasn’t played 60 or more games in a season since 2020-21.
