LeBron James played only 55 games this season, which was nearly double the number the star of the New Orleans Pelicans dressed for.
Zion Williamson is the face of the franchise in the Big Easy, in addition to the primary reason the team is watching the playoffs on cable this spring.
The 22-year-old former number-one overall pick (2019) has been out since January 4 with a hamstring strain. Williamson had been back to practice in recent weeks as the regular season wound down, even throwing down several dunks in practice. The team ruled Williamson out for their play-in game hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 42-40 Pelicans were 23-14 at the time of Williamson’s injury, finishing 19-26 without him. A 123-118 loss on their home floor means New Orleans will be picking 14th in June’s draft, their only pick of the evening.
Williamson signed a five-year, $194.3 million extension in the offseason, which kicks in once the NBA Finals conclude in a couple of months. The 6-foot-6, 284 pound forward played in just 24 games his rookie season, missed nine games his sophomore campaign, and did not suit up at all last year. All these games missed are due to injury, which included a complete lack of failure in maintaining his conditioning and physique. Williamson ballooned to nearly 320 pounds last year before rehab.
One of five Duke players to be taken first overall in the NBA Draft, (Art Heyman 1963, Elton Brand 1999, Kyrie Irving 2011, Williamson 2019, and Paolo Banchero 2022) Williamson made $13.4 million for playing a third of his eligible games. Under the NBA’s “poison pill” provision--which is not explicitly labeled as such in the league’s collective bargaining agreement--if New Orleans decided to trade Williamson before the contract takes effect on September 1, the trade partner would absorb a $34.6 million salary cap hit.
The provision states in this example that Williamson would be outgoing from the Pelicans at his $13.4 rate. However, with the contract extension not yet set in, the value of the deal is the current value, added into the total of the extension, then divided by the number of years still left on the deal (including the extension).
Williamson is not the only superstar with such a provision. Ja Morant in Memphis, Darius Garland in Cleveland, and De’Andre Hunter in Atlanta all have similar deals set up. The problem for New Orleans is that the other three are former All Stars who suit up for the majority of games. Williamson is absent whenever New Orleans needs him in the lineup.
Pelicans’ General Manager David Griffin was the architect of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 Championship team that featured Irving and James. Griffin told reporters that Williamson was held out of the game against Oklahoma City due to not being cleared for 5-on-5 basketball. A grade-three hamstring tear can be rehabbed in three months.
Williamson had a strain and missed the same level of time.
This is why a 6-foot-6 power forward should not be a couple of cheat days away from being 300 pounds. Julius Randle is only 250. Evan Mobley is still growing into his frame at just 215. Even LeBron is still 250 at 39 years old in his 19th season.
Zion Williamson is not going to last the entire five years on this extension in New Orleans. By the time he has passed the midway point of the deal, he will be playing in a new city, unless New Orleans takes a Sacramento-like step forward next season.
We all can probably think of a few owners dumb enough to take on a contract that Griffin will forever be questioned about offering in the first place.
-JC24