Zion Williamson to sign five-year, rookie max extension with Pelicans worth up to $231 million, per report

It looks like Zion Williamson will be staying with the New Orleans Pelicans for the foreseeable future. The star forward is nearing a five-year rookie max contract extension worth up to $231 million with the organization, according to Shams Charania. The deal will keep Williamson under team control through the 2027-28 season. 

Williamson didn’t play a single second for the Pelicans last season due to a broken foot. However, given the potential he has shown when healthy — he averaged 27 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 2020-21 — combined with how much the organization has invested in him, it seemed like a near-certainty the Pelicans would offer him an extension. And while there was some speculation regarding Williamson’s desire to remain in New Orleans long-term, he did his best to quell any doubt in recent months. In April, Williamson made it clear he planned to sign an extension with the Pelicans if offered. 

“Of course. Of course. I wouldn’t be able to sign it fast enough,” Williamson said at the time, before uttering some words that had to sound like music to the ears of Pelicans fans: “I can’t control rumors and how people feel about certain things, but anybody that knows me knows I want to be here.”    

He doubled down on that stance last month, too. “I do want to be here. That’s no secret,” Williamson said of New Orleans in June. “I feel like I’ve stood on that when I spoke. It was a long year for me for rehab and mental battles. I’m fine now. I’m ready to get to work.”  

After the way the Pelicans performed without him last season, there’s real reason for Williamson to be genuinely enthusiastic about the team’s future. After starting the season 1-12, they…