NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has agreed to a five-year contract extension worth of up to $231 million, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski tweeted the confirmation Saturday.
The Athletic senior writer Shams Charania first reported the deal on social media Friday, keeping Williamson in New Orleans through the 2027-2028 NBA season.
After the latest season that saw the Pelicans make an appearance in the playoffs and push the Phoenix Suns harder than expected, Williamson made it plain that he wanted to stay with the team.
"Pels in the first round was all I needed to see," he said. That's all I needed to see to be really excited to get back out there."
Williamson said he was working out and getting ready for the upcoming season.
"I do want to be here," he said. "It's no secret. I feel I've always stood on that whenever I've spoken."
Williamson is eligible for an extension to his contract, but having played only 85 games and having missed 141 in three seasons has the Pelicans seemingly a little concerned about giving him an all-guaranteed maximum contract that would start at $182 million over 5 years. He is locked into the coming season for $13.5 million.
Williamson has been stellar in the few games he has played, averaging 25.7 points, 7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting a gaudy 60 percent from the field.
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