Zion Williamson: Why Is The Contract No More Guaranteed?

According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, Zion Williamson, who signed a stipulation-laden maximum contract deal with the Pelicans in the summer of 2022, has already triggered a condition that makes the remaining three seasons of the pact non-guaranteed.

Zion Williamson: Why Is The Contract No More Guaranteed?

His contract has a very explicit stipulation outlining the only way these latter years would be guaranteed. That contract condition did not trigger the remaining three years of Zion’s guaranteed deal, since Zion has not done anything during the past year. Other NBA clubs may be interested in signing him when the time comes after this is confirmed.

It was viewed as a victory for both Zion Williamson and small-market clubs trying to hang onto a superstar when he agreed to a maximum five-year, $193 million deal extension to remain with the Pelicans.

Zion’s history of injuries made it riskier, though, which is why the Pelicans pushed for and were granted a game-play trigger to ensure the remaining years of the contract. It was thought at the time to be extremely improbable that Zion would miss enough games to activate the clause.

He just signed a contract that required him to play a certain number of official games each season in order to keep that guarantee in place for the last three years of the deal. That clearly didn’t happen because Zion has only appeared in 29 games for the New Orleans Pelicans, sitting out 22 of them. We are discussing a significant portion of the whole season that caused this contract provision to become active.

This implies that the Pelicans have the contractual authority to waive Williamson following the 2024–25 campaign without incurring any fines; however, executives from other teams think it would only occur under very specific situations. Additionally, if Williamson misses a lot of time this season, his guaranteed  salary for 2024-25. The contract also has ways for Williamson to earn back the guarantees by playing in enough games and hitting specific weigh-in checkpoints.

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With Zion, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum at its core, the Pelicans want to win big. This three has shown glimpses of potential this season and is a formidable force in the West. New Orleans is trying to figure out how to turn things around. Releasing Zion would be a last-ditch effort, something New Orleans believed it had no option but to do.

But if Williamson doesn’t pass routine examinations measuring his body fat and weight, he might end up losing much more money than he already has. The team’s management felt compelled to implement these safety precautions in light of all the current dietary problems he has been experiencing.

But Zion may also re-guarantee his money by meeting those weight requirements and participating in at least 61 games in the season before to the non-guaranteed year (the amount guaranteed varies according to the number of games played; 61 games gets him completely guaranteed again). Zion stated that he had focused on flexibility and stretching before the season in an attempt to spend more time on the court.

Because Williamson lost so much time in the previous season, the majority of his contract is now completely non-guaranteed. Although this is fresh information, in the end, none of the terms in his contract will matter until his club decides to waive him due to a decline in his play.

What is Zion Williams salary?

Zion Williamson NBA Salary
Season Team Salary
2022/23 New Orleans Pelicans $13,534,817 ($13,936,689*)
2021/22 New Orleans Pelicans $10,733,400 ($12,053,386*)
2020/21 New Orleans Pelicans $10,245,480 ($12,125,773*)
2019/20 New Orleans Pelicans $9,757,440 ($11,622,737*)

How many games have Zion played in the NBA?

Over his career, Zion Williamson has participated in 137 games.

Why is Zion Williamson named Zion?

South Carolina was Williamson’s upbringing. Both of his parents, Lateef Williamson and Sharonda Sampson, were athletes in college. At Livingstone College and North Carolina State University, his mother was a track athlete and his father was a football player. Williamson derives his name from Jerusalem’s Mount Zion.

 

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