Zion Williamson, Pelicans agree to max rookie-scale extension

Adrian Wojnarowski: New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has agreed on a five-year, $193 million designated maximum rookie extension that could earn him as much as $231 million, CAA Sports’ Co-Head of Basketball Austin Brown tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/z4lnVLD1GM
Source: Twitter @wojespn

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

StatMuse @statmuse
Players averaging 25+ points on 60% shooting:
— Zion Williamson
The only player EVER. pic.twitter.com/Y32sWQ6h3E – 6:37 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Zion Williamson:
85 games played
$193 Million. pic.twitter.com/o9sCXBl4r4 – 6:32 PM

Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Zion Williamson signs extension with the New Orleans Pelicans and the NBA better watch out!
Zion 2.0 incoming!
https://t.co/lRd2avLmCO pic.twitter.com/YkFOpyxKf1 – 6:25 PM

Christian Clark @cclark_13
NOP front office past 12 months:
– Hire Willie Green
– Move Bledsoe/Adams for JV (cost: move down 7 slots in 2021 draft)
– Draft Trey Murphy at 17, Herb Jones at 35, sign Jose Alvarado as UDFA
– Trade for CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr (cost: Josh Hart, 2025 MIL 1st)
– Extend Zion – 5:44 PM Christian Clark @cclark_13
Zion Williamson said in April he couldn’t sign an extension “fast enough.” Less than 48 hours after the window to agree to an extension opened, Zion signed for five more years. nola.com/sports/pelican… – 5:32 PM Matt Williams @StatsWilliams
Most made shots per game in the restricted area in a season over the last 25 years:
2020-21 Zion Williamson: 9.0
2019-20 Zion WIlliamson: 7.9
2018-19 Giannis Antetokounmpo: 7.9
2019-20 Giannis Antetokounmpo: 7.7
1997-98 Shaquille O’Neal: 7.6 – 5:02 PM CBS NBA @CBSSportsNBA
Zion Williamson agrees to five-year rookie max extension with Pelicans worth up to $231 million, per agent
cbssports.com/nba/news/zion-… – 5:01 PM Andrew Lopez @_Andrew_Lopez
ESPN story: Zion Williamson, Pelicans agree on five-year designated maximum rookie extension, his agent and Co-Head of CAA Sports basketball division Austin Brown tells @Adrian Wojnarowski.
Deal could be worth up to $231 million.
espn.com/nba/story/_/id… – 4:56 PM Christian Clark @cclark_13
When Zion was in Portland rehabbing on his own in February, some in the Pels organization believed he had played his last game in New Orleans. What a difference a couple of months make.. – 4:53 PM Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Sure, it was a interesting discussion about a Zion/Durant swap in the beginning but that crap went on way to long and got way too blown up – 4:51 PM Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Zion Williamson signs extension with the New Orleans Pelicans and the NBA better watch out
https://t.co/lRd2avLmCO pic.twitter.com/U9sHvdejAj – 4:49 PM

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has agreed on a five-year, $193 million designated maximum rookie extension that could earn him as much as $231 million, CAA Sports’ Co-Head of Basketball Austin Brown tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/z4lnVLD1GM – 4:48 PM

Will Guillory @WillGuillory
Stability isn’t something the Pelicans have been able to experience often over the last 20 years.
With Zion Williamson’s extension now in the rearview mirror, New Orleans has a chance to build upon a foundation that’ll be in place for a long time
theathletic.com/3395585/2022/0… – 1:13 PM Austin Kent @AustinKent
Love it or hate it, All-NBA votes next spring could cost Ja, Zion and now Darius Garland close to $40 million.
Why? The Rose Rule, which allows qualifying fourth-year players to leap up a pay bracket (25% – 30%) on their first big extension. pic.twitter.com/nz3P1ntPpZ – 12:52 PM

Fred Katz @FredKatz
That’s three guys from RJ Barrett’s draft class who have gotten max extensions in the past few days: Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and now Darius Garland.
I wrote earlier this week about what Barrett’s extension negotiations could look like: https://t.co/lYcxXJFzRl pic.twitter.com/NUk8oTtKWP – 12:50 PM

Jake Madison @NOLAJake
So in non Kevin Durant/Zion Williamson things it just dawned on me how Dell Demps has his fingerprints all over the Rudy Gobert for 5 first round picks trade. Which…checks out – 11:31 AM Jake Madison @NOLAJake
The start of NBA free agency and trade season makes people go nuts. I’ll maintain the reason I think we haven’t heard official (or more certainly) about a Zion extension is just due to getting the details ironed out. Not because the Pelicans are trading him for Durant – 11:16 AM Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Now, I don’t think the Pelicans are in deep negotiations with the Nets over a Zion/Durant trade. I think the reason nothing has been announced yet is because they are still figuring out the finer points of his extension. – 9:24 PM Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Pelicans social media team gotta tell Griff the 12 are tearing themselves apart over unsubstantiated Kevin Durant trade ideas so just fully guarantee the Zion extension and let Shams tweet it out to bring everyone back together – 8:54 PM Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Should I just put out a bonus podcast talking about the (unofficial) Zion extension? – 6:54 PM Mike Prada @MikePradaNBA
The Pelicans are … stable? Yes, really.
Read @Will Guillory on how the Zion Williamson extension became drama-free – the antithesis what we’ve come to expect from that franchise. theathletic.com/3395585/2022/0… – 5:16 PM

More on this storyline

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has agreed on a five-year, $193 million designated maximum rookie extension that could earn him as much as $231 million, CAA Sports’ co-head of Basketball Austin Brown told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. -via ESPN / July 2, 2022 If Williamson makes the All-NBA team, wins MVP or Defensive Player of the Year next season, it will trigger supermax escalator clauses that could up the total value of the deal from $193 million to $231 million. Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, has proved to be a generational talent ever since he stepped on an NBA floor. -via ESPN / July 2, 2022 The two players picked ahead of RJ Barrett in the 2019 draft — Ja Morant and Zion Williamson — both agreed to max contract extensions on the first day of eligibility Friday. Although negotiations can turn in an instant (or one offer), my sense on Barrett is that it’s going to be a longer process. There’s also no rush. The deadline to reach an extension is Oct. 17. If there’s no agreement, Barrett can become a restricted free agent in 2023. Barrett’s max extension would be five years and roughly $185 million. -via New York Daily News / July 1, 2022