Williamson s 130 million contract is converted to non-guaranteed. Pelicans listen to multi-team trading quotes and seek guidance from James

The latest report by the New Orleans Times reporter Rod Walker, in view of the off-court troubles and health problems of Zion Williamson, the Pelicans notified the "Fat Tigers" team that initially decided to convert a $39.45 million contract next season to a $7.9 million minimum guarantee contract, and the remaining $130 million contract is converted into a non-guaranteed, and seek to trade it to big city teams such as the Lakers, Heat or the Knicks.

In response to Zion Williamson's troubles in off-court legal litigation, Pelicans owner Gale Benson personally issued a statement saying that the team will do its best to help Zion Williamson resolve the litigation and provide some strong proof, but the support of the Pelicans management is limited to this. Back to the basketball affairs itself, Pelicans' senior management no longer has hope and expectations for 24-year-old Zion Williamson. Zion Williamson joined the Pelicans as the No. 1 pick in 2019, playing only 214 games in six seasons, and spending more than half of the time recuperating, losing weight and quarreling with the team management.

"The Pelicans Management New General Manager Joe Dumas has notified the team of Zion Williamson that his contract will not be transferred to full protection for next season." Rod Walker said, "The management has carefully evaluated Williamson's situation and believed that he is not suitable as part of the team's long-term team building. According to the terms of the contract between the two parties, the Pelicans decided to convert the contract of $39.45 million next season in 2025-26 to a minimum guarantee of $7.9 million." In addition, the Pelicans have the right to terminate Zion Williamson's remaining contract at any time and do not bear any liability for breach of contract.

team executives confirmed that the five-year, $197 million maximum salary renewal contract signed by Zion Williamson in 2022 has set some terms to ensure that the team will not be dragged down by the "Fat Tiger"'s professional qualities and physical health. A clause in the contract between the two parties stipulates that if Zion Williamson only played 29 games in the 2022-23 season, that is, the previous season when the contract renewal took effect, the last three years of the contract will be non-guaranteed. Therefore, the Pelicans can cut Zion Williamson after the end of the 2024-25 season, thus getting rid of his salary and taking up the team's cap space.

In the 2022-23 season, Zion Williamson only played 29 games, and this season only played 30 games due to various injuries. Pelicans owner Gail Benson and the senior management completely lost patience with the "Fat Tiger". "Although the possibility of the Pelicans cutting Zion Williamson directly is very low, Joe Dumas is seriously considering this option," said Rod Walker. "Williamson has not played any playoff game for the Pelicans. It is no longer a ridiculous decision to trade the young draft No. 1 pick. No team is willing to bear $40 million in salary space for a player who is always injured. Worse, the Pelicans seem to have to pay some price to trade Zion Williamson." In fact, there are some clauses that allow Zion Williamson to partially guarantee future salary. This season, if Williamson plays the full 51 games, he will lock in 20% of his salary next season. Williamson's remaining 80% salary guarantee depends entirely on his number of appearances in the previous season. If he plays 41 games, 40% of his salary will be guaranteed, 20% of his salary will be guaranteed for 51 games, and 20% of his 61 games. But unfortunately, Williamson couldn't even do the lowest standard line, and his weight management control was quite poor, with the total weight and body fat ratio lower than the contract's 295 pounds, or about 134 kg.

"At this point, the Pelicans have the legality and goal of flexibly dealing with Zion Williamson's remaining contracts." Rod Walker revealed, "Joe Dumas is trying to establish connections with the Lakers, the Knicks and the Heat, trying to trade Zion Williamson to these teams in exchange for some healthy assets." The Pelicans even only need to seek exchange rights for Lakers' Reeves, Hachimura, Maxi Kleber and 2030 first-round draft picks, and sell Williamson to the Lakers at a lower price. Robert Pelinka's proposal is unquestionable, and the Lakers have reason to bet that Williamson remains healthy for a long time under the guidance of LeBron James.

Now is the best time to trade Zion Williamson, and it is relatively easy, as the remaining $130 million contract is in a non-guaranteed state after this season, neither the Lakers nor the Knicks will take over him, except for trading the assets that his team must pay. Even if a team like the Lakers have to cut Williamson due to injury or poor performance, there is a silver lining that will clear $40 million in salary space from the books each year.