Pelicans monster champion Williamson has stayed healthy this season, but his physical condition is still much discussed by fans. The Athletic's Vorkonov noted that he signed with the Pelicans in 2022 for five yearsThe last 3 years of the $9.7 billion contract were automatically converted to non-guaranteed contracts.
According to the report, Williamson only played in 29 games last season, and because he missed more than 22 games, one of the terms of the contract was triggered, and the salary for the last three seasons will be turned into non-guaranteed, which means that if the Pelicans release him after the 2024-25 season, he will not have to pay the remaining three years of salary. The contract also includes criteria for weight control, injury management, and only half of Williamson's annual salary will be covered for the 2024-25 season if he suffers another serious right foot injury.
However, Williamson still has the opportunity to transfer his contract back to the guarantee, and as long as he passes six weight checks in 2024-25, 20% of the 2025-26 season will be guaranteed. If Williamson plays 41 games in the 2024-25 season, he can guarantee another 40%;51 games and another 20%;You can get the final 20% for 61 games, and so on for the remaining 2 years of the contract.
In addition, the contract also states that if the Pelicans do not release Williamson before January 7, 2024-25, the contract will be converted to full protection, and the term for the next three seasons is July 15, and if the Pelicans release Williamson before the deadline, he will not receive the full guarantee contract.
As mentioned in the article, Williamson's contract may seem rare, but many clubs have done it in the past. For example, the 76ers' original contract with Embiid had a foot injury proviso. Isaac of the Magic team has a four-year contract, and he missed many games due to his injury in the first three years, and he is only partially guaranteed this season, and he is not even guaranteed next season.
2023-24 NBA season.