Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans agree to five-year designated maximum rookie extension

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has agreed to a five-year, $193 million designated maximum rookie extension that could earn him as much as $231 million.

If Williamson makes the All-NBA team or wins MVP or Defensive Player of the Year next campaign, it would trigger supermax escalator clauses that could up the total value of the deal to $231 million.

Though Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, missed the entire 2021-22 campaign with a broken right foot, he has proved to be a generational talent ever since he stepped on an NBA floor.

During his rookie season, he averaged 22.5 points per game and shot 58.3% overall. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Williamson was the second rookie in NBA history to average 20 points while shooting at least 55% from the field, joining Shaquille O’Neal (1992-93).

He also was the first teenager to score 20 points in 10 consecutive matches, according to ESPN Stats & Information, and he accomplished that by his 15th career game.

During the 2020-21 season, Williamson averaged 27 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 61.1% from the field. His scoring average was the highest of any player in NBA history who shot over 60% from the field in a season.

Williamson was named an All-Star during his sophomore season and was a late selection to start the game. He became the fourth-youngest All-Star starter, behind only Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Magic Johnson.

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Over his final 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 contests.

Williamson had a stretch of 25 consecutive games with 20 or more points while shooting 50% or better from the field, joining O’Neal in 2001 as the only players to accomplish that in NBA history.

Toward 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 the Elias Sports Bureau. He became only 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 average jump from 2.1 to 3.7 as he assumed more ballhandling duties as the Pelicans unleashed “Point Zion” under former coach Stan Van Gundy. Whether he resumes those duties under Willie Green remains to be seen.

Green led the Pelicans to the Western Conference play-in tournament last campaign. They won at home versus the San Antonio Spurs and on the road versus the LA Clippers to make the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. The Pelicans took two games from the top-seeded Phoenix Suns before falling in six.

New Orleans started 3-16 last season but finished 36-46 to get back into the playoff hunt. The Pelicans added CJ McCollum ahead of the NBA trade deadline, which helped spark the team on its late-season run.

Williamson, who turns 22 on Wednesday, has played just 85 games in his first three NBA seasons, including 24 during his rookie season in 2019-20 as a torn meniscus in his right knee delayed his debut.

In May, the Pelicans officially cleared Williamson to return from the foot injury that sidelined him last season, and he has returned to on-court work without any restrictions. With McCollum, Brandon Ingram and a healthy Williamson, the Pelicans are looking to make a push in the Western Conference next season.

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