Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and his representatives at Creative Arts Agency, including agent Austin Brown, are parting ways, sources tell Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
It’s unclear why the two sides are ending their relationship, according to The Athletic’s duo, but the National Basketball Players Association has confirmed that CAA is no longer listed as Williamson’s representative.
The player’s union doesn’t yet have a new agent on record for the former No. 1 overall pick, Vardon and Amick add. A player who parts with an agent must wait 15 days before hiring new representation.
Williamson is in the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract, so in all likelihood, he won’t be negotiating a new deal anytime soon.
However, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic previously reported, the 24-year-old’s contract is a unique one. Currently, the final three years of Williamson’s deal, beginning in 2025/26, are non-guaranteed. He can re-guarantee part or all of his salary for ’25/26 by meeting the following benchmarks:
- Appearing in at least 41 games this season: 40% guarantee
- Appearing in at least 51 games this season: An additional 20%
- Appearing in at least 61 games this season: An additional 20%
- Passing all six of his weigh-in checkpoints this season (his combined weight and body fat percentage must be below 295): An additional 20%
Those criteria are the same for each season. For instance, if Williamson plays in at least 61 games and passes all his weigh-in checkpoints during the 2025/26 season, he would automatically guarantee his full salary for ’26/27.
The Pelicans forward is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and reportedly isn’t close to returning, so those games-played thresholds will become increasingly difficult to meet the longer he remains sidelined, meaning some or all of his ’25/26 salary will likely remain non-guaranteed.
Still, as Vardon and Amick write, the Pelicans won’t realize any cap savings as a result of Williamson’s non-guaranteed salaries unless they waive him, which seems highly unlikely to happen anytime in the near future. If he remains under contract through July 15, 2025, his ’25/26 salary will become fully guaranteed.
When he’s healthy and available, the former Duke standout is one of the NBA’s most dynamic players — he holds career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 31.8 minutes per game across 190 outings (all starts). The problem is that he has missed 217 regular season games and counting during his five-plus seasons in the league.
Cafe du Monde will be representing Zion now.
Shake Shack will be all over Zion
Smoothie King and Frito-Lay are also in the running.
He knows it’s not likely that he will meet those requirements so he could be cut loose unless a new contract is negotiated. Maybe he’s mad at his old reps because they negotiated such a terrible contract for him.
According to Arsene K. Lown of “The Unathletic”, Austin Brown cut down on complimentary caramel bonbons, sugar-powdered beignets and flavored lard in his office as well as around the agency, leaving Fat Zion utterly displeased and borborygmic during his visits.
Omg i lold so hard! Your unique and original take on giving Zion the business is truly clever and hilarious. Definitely pursue comedy. Well all laugh.
These comments would be funny if I were 12, and if they were actually funny.
The weight/shape jokes are silly because part of what makes Zion such a unique player is his size, and the way he utilizes it. And he’s also in better shape than everyone making them. Every team in the league would still love to give Zion the exact contact he’s on now. The problem is with the rise in the cap, he’s probably worth the full amount without incentives on the open market. He has a legitimate gripe with regards to being financially penalized for injuries, which aren’t necessarily his fault (he definitely needs to learn how to fall/land in traffic in a way that isn’t so traumatic on his joints, though). He’ll probably be able to negotiate an extension that guarantees more money, and if not, he’ll probably be able to force a trade to a team that will
Makes sense. Zion is not really marketable anymore. He never plays and his reputation has taken a hit.
Sucks though. Hope he can turn it around. Unlikely, given the fact that an agency who spends millions on making these decisions is saying later. He’s probably done.
Just hoop everything else will fall in place.
Wow, I knew there were some conditions in his contract. I wasn’t aware he could end up with zero bucks.