Pelicans' Zion Williamson makes official agency decision

Today at 08:33 PM

Change is coming to the New Orleans Pelicans. After Brandon Ingram moved to Klutch Sports, his fellow injured star, Zion Williamson, has also parted ways with his old agency, CAA (Creative Artists Agency), in favor of veteran agent Bill Duffy of WME. This move came just under two seasons after Williamson signed his five-year, $197-million max contract, which carries several health-related financial guarantees. However, this season alone the star forward has only played six games, jeopardizing the guaranteed money provided for in his contract, perhaps explaining why he chose another agency to help him navigate his deal.

“Zion Williamson changed agencies… He went to William Morris Endeavor,” reported NBA insider Shams Charania during his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “You make a move like that, I think everyone understands there’s some business that’s gonna be handled.”

"Is he going to sign an extension or get traded?… When a player changes his agency in the last year of his deal, what are you trying to accomplish? His future is in greater focus now. I believe these talks will heat up between now and January."

— @ShamsCharania on Ingram pic.twitter.com/nhwsYB1LJf

— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) December 3, 2024

Pelicans face an uncertain future

Ingram’s move to Klutch has stoked rumors of a reunion with the Los Angeles Lakers, who drafted him No. 2 overall in 2017.

However, this move mostly came from the lack of agreement between the wing and the Pelicans about a possible new contract, opening the path for the team to trade him possibly this year.

On the other hand, the injured Zion Williamson’s future with the Pelicans has become foggier if only because of his availability issues, which have negated the fact that he’s a reliable presence on the court when he does play.

He has averaged 22.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in his six games played, but his injury absence–along with Brandon Ingram’s–has caused the Pelicans to fall to the basement of the Western Conference with a 4-18 record.

Moreover, per reports, Williamson is not close to a return, giving rise to concerns about his ability to meet the guarantees of his contract.

For instance, he only enjoys 50% guaranteed money for 2024-2025, as the full amount does not become guaranteed until January 7, 2025, via a report from TalkBasket.

Likewise, he doesn’t have guaranteed money for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 “unless he meets specific benchmarks, such as playing a certain number of games or maintaining a certain weight and body fat percentage.”

Issues with Zion

In the past his weight has also raised concerns among analysts and fans, which suggested a lack of effort and desire to keep himself in shape, a la Shaquille O’Neal who largely played himself into shape after coming into camp overweight.

However, Zion did play a career-best 70 games last season, leading the Pelicans to the Play-In, though he went down to injury in their loss to the Lakers.

Also, other rumors suggested that CAA’s failure to bring Zion Williamson to the Knicks caused his frustration and departure, especially after NY traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, among others, depleting their stock of draft capital.

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