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Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and his representatives at Creative Arts Agency, including agent Austin Brown, are parting ways, sources tell Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
It’s unclear why the two sides are ending their relationship, according to The Athletic’s duo, but the National Basketball Players Association has confirmed that CAA is no longer listed as Williamson’s representative.
The player’s union doesn’t yet have a new agent on record for the former No. 1 overall pick, Vardon and Amick add. A player who parts with an agent must wait 15 days before hiring new representation.
Williamson is in the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract, so in all likelihood, he won’t be negotiating a new deal anytime soon.
However, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic previously reported, the 24-year-old’s contract is a unique one. Currently, the final three years of Williamson’s deal, beginning in 2025-26, are non-guaranteed. He can re-guarantee part or all of his salary for 2025-26 by meeting the following benchmarks:
- Appearing in at least 41 games this season: 40% guarantee
- Appearing in at least 51 games this season: An additional 20%
- Appearing in at least 61 games this season: An additional 20%
- Passing all six of his weigh-in checkpoints this season (his combined weight and body fat percentage must be below 295): An additional 20%
Those criteria are the same for each season. For instance, if Williamson plays in at least 61 games and passes all his weigh-in checkpoints during the 2025-26 season, he would automatically guarantee his full salary for 2026-27.
The Pelicans forward is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and reportedly isn’t close to returning, so those games-played thresholds will become increasingly difficult to meet the longer he remains sidelined, meaning some or all of his 2025-26 salary will likely remain non-guaranteed.
Still, as Vardon and Amick write, the Pelicans won’t realize any cap savings as a result of Williamson’s non-guaranteed salaries unless they waive him, which seems highly unlikely to happen anytime in the near future. If he remains under contract through July 15, 2025, his 2025-26 salary will become fully guaranteed.
When he’s healthy and available, the former Duke standout is one of the NBA’s most dynamic players — he holds career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 31.8 minutes per game across 190 outings (all starts). The problem is that he has missed 217 regular season games and counting during his five-plus seasons in the league.
More must-reads:
- Pelicans get even more bad news on Zion Williamson
- The greatest players in Duke men's basketball history
- The 'Most points scored in 2023-24 NBA season' quiz
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Mavericks have another out-of-shape star
When the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis last season, the team was concerned about its young star's conditioning issues. Now, Doncic is on the cover of fitness magazines, and Davis is 15 pounds heavier than at last season's training camp. At last year's training camp, the Los Angeles Lakers listed Davis at 253 pounds. This season, the Mavericks listed him at 268 pounds, a dramatic increase from 12 months ago. He looks noticeably bigger, though "The Brow" still put up seven points and seven rebounds in the Mavericks' preseason opener Monday night, a 106-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Anthony Davis spent the summer recovering from a serious surgery One reason Davis might not be in his usual condition is his offseason surgery to repair a detached retina, an injury he played through for most of last season. While the surgery was successful — Davis will wear protective goggles for the remainder of his career — he had to go weeks without exercising as part of his recovery. For his part, Davis claims he always likes to go into training camp a little heavy to avoid getting "too small" when he loses weight during the season. Being larger may be a conscious strategy for Davis, but he's still at least 10 pounds heavier than his previous efforts to come to training camp above his playing weight. Anthony Davis was a questionable choice for a team concerned with health It's not Davis' fault that he's suffered so many injuries, including an adductor strain in his very first game with the Mavericks that kept him out for the team's next 19 games. But it was a curious choice to swap Doncic for a player six years older than him. 2024-25 was the most injury-plagued season of Doncic's career, and he ended up playing just one fewer game than Davis. Over Doncic's seven-year career, he's played 450 games. In that same time span, Davis has played 377, roughly 10 fewer games per season. Doncic himself weighed in at 244 pounds for the Lakers, which is higher than his official weight of 230 pounds for most of his career, but far lower than his reported weight in the "high 260s" last season. Doncic clearly wasn't nearly as committed to fitness a year ago. But like Davis, much of Doncic's weight gain last season was a consequence of not being able to exercise after a severe calf strain. A player can have a fantastic regimen of exercise and preparation, but that goes out the window if injuries won't let him follow that routine. That's where the Mavericks seem to have had a blind spot with Davis. He may well drop the extra weight quickly and play himself into shape, but the odds are high that an injury will leave him off the court and out of shape again.
Lions appear 'destined' to make huge Aidan Hutchinson move
Star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson is once again a key contributor for the Detroit Lions, coming off the devastating injury he suffered last fall. For a piece published on Wednesday, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler suggested that the Lions could soon lock Hutchinson down beyond the ongoing campaign after the club picked up the 25-year-old's fifth-year option for 2026 this past offseason. Lions, Aidan Hutchinson have had "exploratory" contract talks "Lions edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson looks destined for a new deal," Fowler shared. "Both sides have had exploratory discussions about an extension, for which Hutchinson is eligible as a fourth-year pro." Back in July, Fowler noted that Hutchinson was leading the NFL in sacks (7.5), pressures and win rate last season before he went down with gruesome fractures of his tibia and fibula in October 2024. According to Pro Football Reference, Hutchinson enters Week 6 of the 2025 campaign tied for third in the league with five sacks and second with three forced fumbles. How much could Aidan Hutchinson make via extension? "Top pass-rushers now make quarterback money, punctuated by Micah Parsons' four-year, $188M deal with Green Bay," Fowler continued. "While I'm not sure Hutchinson tops that number, he'll be among the highest paid at his position whenever this deal gets done. ...Detroit has shown an eagerness to extend its marquee players, and there's none bigger than Hutchinson." Before Parsons put pen to paper on his deal, Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders received a three-year, $106.5M extension during the offseason. Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns later signed a four-year, $160M deal that included $123.5M guaranteed. During the summer, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave T.J. Watt a three-year, $123M extension that included $108M guaranteed. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell and quarterback Jared Goff are a few examples of Lions players who have received extensions from the club over the past couple of years. That said, both Detroit and Hutchinson may have reasons to drag contract talks out. Hutchinson could increase the value of his deal if he keeps playing well through January (or February). Meanwhile, everybody involved received a harsh reminder roughly 12 months ago that one play can drastically alter or even threaten a player's career. For now, Hutchinson and the 4-1 Lions will focus on preparing for the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game at the Kansas City Chiefs (2-3). As of Wednesday, ESPN BET had Detroit as a 2.5-point underdog for that matchup.
Steelers Worked Out Two Linebackers, Including Isaiah Simmons
The Pittsburgh Steelers tried out two linebackers, including Michael Barrett and Isaiah Simmons, per the NFL Transactions wire. Simmons, 27, was a two-year starter at Clemson and won the Butkus Award as college football’s best linebacker in 2019. The Cardinals used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 draft on him. Simmons signed a four-year, $20,664,055 rookie contract that includes a $12,588,404 signing bonus. Arizona wound up trading him to the Giants in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick. He was testing the market as an unrestricted free agent after the Cardinals declined his fifth-year option in May 2023, and he opted to remain in New York on a one-year deal. Simmons then signed with Green Bay this offseason but cut him loose at the end of August. In 2024, Simmons appeared in all 17 games for the Giants and made one start. He recorded 21 tackles and one forced fumble.
Packers’ Matt LaFleur has three word message on facing Joe Flacco
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and staff had to do an about face after the Bengals traded for Joe Flacco on Tuesday. After presumably preparing for quarterback Jake Browning ahead of Week 6, Green Bay’s staff now must adapt to facing Flacco for the second time in the past four weeks, with the opportunity to avenge a 13-10 loss on the table. “It’ll be interesting,” LaFleur told reporters, about facing Flacco with so little time to prepare. Packers’ Matt LaFleur has plenty of respect for Joe Flacco The last time the Packers faced Flacco, with the Browns, in Cleveland, Jeff Hafley’s defense held up pretty well against the veteran quarterback. Flacco managed just a season-low 142 passing yards with an interception, as the Browns’ defense benefited from an ill-timed and costly Jordan Love interception to set up a touchdown to get the Browns back into the game. “He can make every throw. He’s super intelligent. He throws on time. The ball is going to come out of his hand, so I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” LaFleur told reporters. Flacco got the better of Green Bay last time, even if his personal production wasn’t the driving force. LaFleur’s challenge now is making sure history doesn’t repeat itself.
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