New details have arrived about the five-year maximum contract extension of Pelicans star power forward Zion Williamson, which will officially kick in at the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.
The 2020 All-Star, who has famously struggled to maintain his weight since arriving in the NBA as the top draft pick out of Duke in 2019, will be required to undergo regular weigh-ins, reports Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune. If the combined total of his body fat percentage and weight does not clock in below 295, New Orleans will be able to lessen his guaranteed salary.
Clark notes that his deal could pay him as much as $231M, should he qualify for a 2023 All-NBA Team or be named the Defensive Player of the Year or MVP next season. Clark adds that Williamson’s body weight and overall consistent fitness have been an issue for the Pelicans throughout his three-year NBA tenure.
He entered the NBA weighing a listed 284 pounds in 2019. After fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in the summer of 2021, Williamson’s conditioning was impacted, and he checked in to team training camp at an amount beyond 300 pounds. He did not suit up for a single game during the 2021-22 season.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report adds that a hypothetical decrease in Williamson’s guaranteed salary would only affect trade transactions or the amount the Pelicans would owe should they waive him.
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