Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans agree to five-year cap extension that could be worth $231 million, agent says

New Orleans star swan Zion Williamson Austin Brown, co-chair of the CAA Sports basketball team, agreed with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

If Williamson succeeds in putting together an All-NBA team, and wins Player of the Year or Player of the Year next season, that would trigger super-fast upward clauses that could raise the total deal value from $193 million to $231 million.

Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, has proven to be a talent for generations since he rose to the NBA floor.

During the junior season, he averaged 22.4 points and shot 58.3% overall. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Williamson is the second freshman in NBA history averaging 20 points while shooting at least 55% from the field, joining Shaquille O’Neal (1992-93).

He was also the first teenager to score 20 points in 10 consecutive games, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, and he achieved it in his 15th game.

During the 2020-21 season, he averaged 27 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 61.1% from the field. His 27.0 points per game was the most of any player in NBA history for someone who hit more than 60% of the field in an NBA season.

Williamson earned the All-Star title during his sophomore season and was also a late pick to start the game. He became the fourth youngest All-Star player, joining Kobe Bryant, LeBron James And Magic Johnson.

During his last 20 games of the season, Williamson’s scoring increased to 29.6 points per game as he scored at least 30 points in 11 of those competitions. Stretching to 25 games in a row and scoring 20 or more points while shooting 50% or better off the field, Williamson joined Shaquille O’Neal in 2001 as the only player to do so in NBA history.

Towards the end of the year, Williamson became the 12th player in NBA history to score at least 2,000 points in his first 80 games, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He became the second player to do so in the past 40 seasons and the first to do so since Michael Jordan.

Williamson also saw his assists-per-game rate jump from 2.1 to 3.7 as he took on more ball handling duties as the Pelicans unleashed a “Point Zion” under former coach Stan van Gundy. It remains to be seen whether or not he will resume those duties under Willie Green.

Green led the Pelicans to the Western Conference Championship last season, where they won at home against the San Antonio Spurs and on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers to become the number eight seed. The Pelicans won two games from the top seed Phoenix Suns before falling in six games.

New Orleans started last season 3-16 but finished the year 36-46 to return to the playoff. Swans were traded for CJ McCollum before the NBA trade deadline last season which helped the team fall behind last season.

Williamson, who turns 22 on July 6, played just 85 games in his first three seasons in the NBA, including 24 during the 2019-20 junior season due to a meniscus tear in his right knee that delayed his debut Once and lost the whole of 2021. – 22 campaign with a fracture of the right foot.

In May, the Pelicans formally acquitted Williamson of returning to action from the foot injury that kept him out and back to work on court without any restrictions. with McCollum, Brandon Ingram With a slim Williamson in the fold, the Pelicans are looking to advance in the Western Conference standings next season.

On April 29, when Williamson made his first public comments since he broke his foot, he was asked about a possible extension and whether it would extend to New Orleans. Of course I wouldn’t be able to sign it fast enough, he replied.

Last month at a local YMCA event, Williamson reiterated his desire to be in New Orleans, saying, “I want to be here. It’s no secret. I feel like I stood that up when I spoke.”