Pelicans "Confident" They'll Come To "Agreement" With Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson had said at his exit interviews that he'd love to sign an extension with the New Orleans Pelicans as soon as it's offered. Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin now admits that Zion is indeed a "max player", and he's confident about signing him. But—and this is a big but—his team needs certain provisions in the contract to protect itself.

“It’s not a big decision. It’s a pretty easy decision,” Griffin said on The Ryen Russillo Podcast. “This is a max player. That’s easy. The kid is historically good when he plays. …What becomes significant with a team that’s a small market team (is that team) can’t make mistakes in terms of injuries over time, you have to indemnify yourself in some way."

Williamson has played in only 85 out of a possible 227 Pelicans games in his career due to a number of injuries and conditioning issues. The Pelicans will certainly be seeking some kind of games-played guarantees in the contract.

Insider Brian Windhorst said recently that if Zion demands a full guarantee... "we could have some drama into the fall."

Still, Griffin sounds pretty upbeat about it all. “We feel really confident he wants to be here and we’re equally confident we can come to an agreement."

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