Zion Williamson’s weight is down, the Pelicans like what they see, and yet his next contract remains on the back burner.
New Orleans listed Williamson at 277 pounds on its training camp roster Friday, seven pounds lighter than he was last season, according to Fletcher Mackel of WDSU in New Orleans. At media day on Monday, Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars said the team has been encouraged by the work Williamson put in on his body over the offseason.
“To be a great player in this league, you have to be in impeccable condition,” Dumars said (Twitter video link). “You can’t play 82 games and not be in great shape.
And so we talked about him being in impeccable condition, and he’s done that. So kudos to Zion.
He’s gotten himself in great shape.”
Even with that praise, Dumars made it clear the Pelicans have not started extension talks with Williamson, who still has two years left on his maximum-salary deal. He said the team will wait and see how the season unfolds, adding, “Let’s see how this year plays out,” and noting Williamson would again be extension-eligible in the 2027 offseason.
New Orleans did, however, lock up another forward recently. Saddiq Bey agreed to a three-year, $55.5MM extension, and Shamit Dua of In The NO reported that the Pelicans chose not to add a fourth year while giving Bey three fully guaranteed seasons and a small trade kicker.
Bey sounded more than happy with the result on Monday. “If they had given me a 12-year contract, I would have signed it,” he said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com (Twitter link).
Elsewhere, Anthony Davis said his own contract picture may not be settled until the 2027 offseason. August reporting had indicated that Davis and the Wizards would wait at least 20 games or so into the 2026/27 season before discussing an extension.
At media day on Monday, Davis said he expects to play through the season and revisit the issue later, as David Aldridge of The Athletic relays. “I’m going to go through the season, and kind of do what I do at a high level,” Davis said.
“And then, when it’s over, you know, sit down and have those key conversations again with the front office.” Davis holds a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28.
Michael Porter Jr. and the Nets also don’t appear in any rush. C.J.
Holmes of The New York Daily News writes that opening night is not viewed as a hard deadline for a new deal, and general manager Sean Marks said Monday that talks are still active. Porter is extension-eligible through June 30, 2027.
“I’ll leave the negotiations internal. That’s obviously between the Nets and Mike and his agent, but I think they’re ongoing,” Marks said.
“The dialogue is ongoing, I think. But again, we are in no hurry to do this.
I don’t think he’s in any particular hurry either.”
Thunder guard Cason Wallace is taking the same approach. Wallace, who can sign a rookie scale extension until October 19, said Monday that his contract situation is “not on front of my mind,” per Rylan Stiles of SI.com.
If no deal gets done this fall, he would become a restricted free agent in 2027. “It’s going to happen whenever it happens,” Wallace said.
“Right now I’m not even thinking about it. We just got back together as a team.
Training camp is tomorrow. So that’s really where my mind’s been at.”
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Dejounte Murray Could Be The Pelicans Change Fans Overlooked
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The bigger clue may have been what happened when he was on the floor. New Orleans was 8.2 points better per 100 possessions with Murray playing, a strong sign that his impact went well beyond the box score and the injury caution around him. If he can carry that kind of two-way influence into a healthier season, he may end up being the move that quietly reshapes how the Pelicans play. [Read more 🡒]