New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is set to start a five-year, $194.3 million contract extension next season. However, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, that extension is no longer fully guaranteed.
When Williamson signed his extension with Pelicans, there were protections in the deal for the team related to games played and injuries. With Williamson appearing in only 29 games this past season, it’s believed he did not meet the games played threshold. Not meeting that criteria will convert some portion of Williamson’s deal to non-guaranteed.
Other examples of these types of projections include Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic. Embiid met his conditions, completed his deal and went on to sign another extension. Isaac did not meet his criteria around games played and has seen his deal become only partially guaranteed.
A deal becoming partially guaranteed does not give the team any immediate salary relief. The full value of the contract for each season is still on the salary cap. However, should the team waive the player, only the guaranteed amount would stay on the cap.