Zion Williamson is quietly stacking up his number of games played.
The New Orleans Pelicans star forward Williamson is set to have $16.9 million of his 2026-27 salary guaranteed by suiting up for Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, NBA salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan reports Thursday. Williamson will be appearing in his 41st game of the season and will thus trigger a guarantee of 40 percent of the $42.2 million that he is slated to make next season.
Gozlan adds that Williamson has further financial rewards to gain this season as well. Williamson can get an additional $8.4 million (20 percent) in salary guaranteed for the 2026-27 season if he appears in 51 games this season and another $8.4 million in 2026-27 salary guaranteed if he appears in 61 games this season.
The oft-injured Williamson missed significant time early in the year due to a hamstring injury. But he has now played in 30 consecutive games for the Pelicans (with 26 games still left to be played in the regular season).
Of course, the problem is that Williamson has been doing it while New Orleans is stinking up the place at 15-41 (14th in the Western Conference). But at least the Pelicans do not have any complaints about Williamson, who is averaging 21.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game this season overall.
The ex-No. 1 overall pick Williamson, 25, continues to battle adversity and recently lost a notable endorsement line. But when it comes to his contract with the Pelicans (which has a very unique structure in other regards as well), Williamson is doing all that he can right now to secure his bag.
More must-reads:
