Report: Zion Williamson’s max extension with Pelicans has interesting wrinkle

Sep 27, 2021; New Orleans, LA, USA; Zion Williamson during a press conference at the New Orleans Pelicans Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans just gave Zion Williamson a major bag, but they are also doing something to protect themselves.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported this week that Williamson’s new max extension from the Pelicans contains injury protections for the team.

“Sources tell me there are protections in Zion Williamson’s max extension, but this is a deal that he wanted to get done,” said Charania while on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “As long as he’s healthy and plays in these games, he’s going to have no problems hitting these benchmarks.”

The former No. 1 overall pick Williamson just obtained a surprisingly sizable deal from the Pelicans earlier this month. But while he is already an All-Star at 21, Williamson missed all of last year due to a foot injury and has only appeared in 85 games overall through his first three NBA seasons.

Along with the injury risk, there have been other red flags with Williamson as well. That much is not lost on the Pelicans however, and they do have a built-in hedge in Williamson’s new contract just in case things goes south.