When the New Orleans Pelicans extended Zion Williamson’s contract in July 2022, it was an euphoric moment for the franchise. New Orleans was able to lock up Williamson for an additional five years for $197 million, ensuring the star who was selected No. 1 overall in 2019 will stay in town.

The deal itself was significant, as Williamson was viewed not only as key to turning the Pelicans into a contender, but also as an example of a young All-Star player willing to reach a long-term deal with a small-market team. However, it wasn’t without risks, as Williamson missed significant portions of his first three years in the NBA, including the entire 2021-22 season. As a result, the team negotiated key hedges tied to Williamson’s health and conditioning in case he had problems staying on the field.

According to the previously reviewed contract The athleteThe final three years of the deal are no longer guaranteed after Williamson only managed to play in 29 games last season. By missing more than 22 games last season, Williamson triggered a clause that converted the salary owed to him for the 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons from guaranteed to non-guaranteed. That means the Pelicans have the contractual authority to waive Williamson after the 2024-25 season without any financial consequences — although opposing team executives believe that would only happen in extreme circumstances.. If Williamson misses significant time this season, it could cut into his guaranteed salary for 2024-25.

The contract also contains ways in which Williamson can redeem guarantees by playing in enough games and hitting specific weight checkpoints.

When he approached The athleteThe Pelicans declined several times to comment, answer questions about the contract or make Williamson available to speak. Williamson’s agent, Austin Braun, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Williamson, 23, is in the first year of his five-year extension, and his health and availability are quickly becoming major topics once again. He’s stayed on the court thus far, playing in 23 of 28 games and averaging 22 points in 30.5 minutes per game, but his conditioning has been called into question severely. he He looked lethargic in an ugly season championship loss to the Lakersprompting TNT’s Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal To heap criticism on himSaying he was out of shape. New Orleans Times-Picayune mentioned That the team has long questioned Williamson’s work ethic.

The Pelicans were keen to protect themselves from that uncertainty when they reached an extension last year. The complex deal, key details of which were confirmed by six league sources on condition of anonymity, contains unusual measures taken by the Pelicans to tie guaranteed salary directly to games played.

Beyond the turnaround for the final three years of the deal, Williamson He is at risk of losing more collateral if he does not reach certain marks during regular checks of his weight and body fat. Under the contract, Williamson’s weight in pounds and body fat percentage must total less than 295. He was listed as weighing 285 pounds last season, meaning his body fat percentage cannot be higher than 10 percent.

The Pelicans have also protected themselves in case there are any further significant issues with Williamson The fifth metatarsal on his right foot. If he suffers a fracture or stress injury to that bone or a healed callus, or has what the contract calls a “hardware failure” related to a previous injury there, half of his base salary for 2024-25 would not be guaranteed if the team releases him.

While the complexity of Williamson’s contract is highly unusual, the NBA has seen contracts before that offer teams protection from injury and playing time. Joel Embiid’s rookie extension with the Philadelphia 76ers was a max deal that also gave the franchise financial cover if he got hurt again after Embiid missed his first two NBA seasons with foot injuries. Jonathan Isaac signed a four-year extension with the Magic that runs through the 2024-25 season but is only partially guaranteed for this season and not guaranteed for next season after suffering a slew of injuries during his first three years.

In comparison, Williamson’s deal is much more complicated.

Williamson said he has spent this season working on his body after developing a plan with the Pelicans. He said he realized he needed to change his routine. Williamson said this summer on a podcast co-hosted by former NBA star Gilbert Arenas that he was focusing on flexibility and teamwork, and on ways to stay on the court longer. He said LeBron James is a blueprint. James is known to spend big on his health and conditioning every year and remains dominant at 38 years old.

Before this season began, Pelicans president of basketball operations David Griffin, who declined to be interviewed for this story, said the franchise had finally seen Williamson commit wholeheartedly to his health.

“This was the first summer that we saw Zion take his career seriously in that way and invest it off the field on his own in a way that I think is meaningful,” Griffin said in October. He added: “He found the level of commitment important.”

Four executives from other NBA teams, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could discuss Williamson’s arrangement, said the Pelicans were unlikely to waive him unless the situation worsened significantly. However, the terms of the contract give the team flexibility and a safety net, and could make it easier to trade Williamson because potential partners would have escape hatches that could reduce the risk of adding his salary to their ledger.

There are also ways for Williamson to get parts of his salary or even his full salary back. 20% of his salary for the 2025-26 season will become guaranteed if he passes all six weight checkpoints during the 2024-25 season, another 40% if he plays in at least 41 games in 2024-25 and an additional bonus. 20 percent if he plays in at least 51 matches. The final 20 percent is re-guaranteed if he plays in at least 61 matches. He can re-guarantee parts of his salary for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons as well by achieving the same feats in previous seasons.

There are also a number of due dates in the deal that binds the team and player together.

Williamson’s contract for the 2024-25 season becomes fully guaranteed as long as the Pelicans do not waive him on Jan. 7 or before that season. His salary for 2025-2026 is 100 percent protected as long as it is not waived on or before July 15, 2025. His compensation for 2026-2027 is 100 percent protected as long as it is not waived on or before July 15, 2026. The salary becomes 100 percent guaranteed as long as Williamson is not waived on or before July 15, 2027.

For the Pelicans, the terms of the contract protect them from the worst possibilities. But both sides would clearly prefer to see Williamson play out his contract and dominate – and get paid well. Williamson is also an investor.

“Whether people believe it or not, when I’m on the sideline, it hurts me more than anything else,” Williamson said of missing playing time, speaking on the podcast co-hosted by Arenas. “I just want to fly.”

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(Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)