One the biggest items on the New Orleans Pelicans to-do list this offseason involved figuring out whether or not they were going to hand Zion Williamson a max contract this offseason. Williamson clearly has loads of talent, but he has only played in 85 games over the first three seasons of his career. Would he be on the court enough to justify such an expensive new deal?
The Pelicans answer to that question was yes, as they handed Williamson a five-year, $193 million maximum rookie extension. The deal won't kick in until after the 2022-23 season, and the Pelicans are hoping that Williamson can find his way back on the court to help justify the deal after he ended up missing the entire 2021-22 campaign.
Williamson's rehab from the foot injury that has kept him out for an extended period of time has been the subject of much discussion, particularly because reports noted that Williamson's weight had ballooned to over 300 pounds a couple of times. The Pelicans responded to this by adding a weight clause to Williamson's new deal, and while everyone laughed at the idea that Williamson could lose money because of his weight, it turns out the clause is only in there in the event Williamson were to get waived by New Orleans.
“The much-discussed weight clause in Zion Williamson‘s five-year, $193 million max contract extension will only cost him money in the unlikely event the Pelicans waive him. If things ever get to that point, a lot of other things would have gone wrong.” – Kurt Helin, NBC Sports
So unless Williamson ends up getting cut by the Pelicans, the weight clause will most likely be a nonfactor in his new deal. Even with this clause proven to be blown out of proportion, Williamson's weight is going to be closely monitored as he attempts to make his way back to the court.
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