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Zion Williamson ready to extend to New Orleans as soon as possible

For the first time since media day, Zion Williamson responded to the New Orleans press.

It only lasted a few minutes, but the Pelicans power winger repeatedly said that “the group was special”singing the praises of Willie Green, CJ McCollum or the club’s rookies.

Was he close to returning to the field? “From a physical point of view, I really could have played. But me, my relatives, the team and the managers, we decided that the long term was more important than coming back quickly. »

Is its future being written in Louisiana? Zion Williamson repeats that it was always his intention.

“I can’t control rumors and what people think but everyone who knows me knows I want to be here. If you think otherwise, I can’t help it. But those who know me know that I want to be here”.

A $181 million extension…with lots of asterisks?

Moreover, when asked if he will sign with the Pelicans this summer if the club offers him a contract extension, he does not hesitate: ” Sure. “I couldn’t sign her fast enough…”

The question is that of the amount, and in particular of the guaranteed amount. Zion Williamson is thus eligible for a contract extension of $181 million over five years, with the possibility of this sum rising to $218 million over five years if he is elected to an All-NBA Team at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Still, given the hard-nosed winger’s injury history, which has played just 85 games in three seasons, it seems impossible to imagine the Pelicans offering him that much, without covering a minimum.

The extension offered to Zion Williamson could thus follow that of Joel Embiid in 2017. At the time, the pivot of the Sixers had played only 31 games in three campaigns since his Draft, but he had been extended for 148 million dollars on five years by Philadelphia, with a whole bunch of clauses related to his playing time, the number of games he would miss or the new injuries he would contract, in order to protect the club in the event of new glitches.

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