The Zion Williamson dilemma is one that has plagued NBA teams for a few years now. He’s clearly very talented, but his injury history and his inability to stay within a targeted weight limit have caused many teams to turn away from actively shopping for him. Now that the Pelicans have put him on the market, teams are weighing the pros and cons of whether they should make a run at him or not. Bill Simmons discussed the possibility of the San Antonio Spurs attempting to test the waters with a bid for him, claiming he’d be unstoppable next to Victor Wembanyama.
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Simmons claimed that for an organization to take a gamble on the former Duke man, they’d have to be willing to nurture him, and in his eyes, there are only 2 teams in the league capable of growing young talents: the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. He compared Zion’s situation to that of a growing plant, and said that the former #1 pick needed an organization willing to “water him every day, put him in the sun, and try to help him grow.”
“This goes back to my plant analogy. To me, he has to go to an awesome organization that will really put some thought and love and care into this. And to me it’s Miami or San Antonio. If I’m Miami, this is the guy I’m really thinking about. If San Antonio traded for Zion, guess what the reaction the league would be. ‘Oh sh*t. Oh no. Wemby and Zion? Oh no.'”
Zion Williamson to the Spurs? 🤔 Bill Simmons says on his podcast that it’s a perfect fit and claims the NBA would lose its mind if that trade happened. Thoughts? https://t.co/7q9coo9MXm pic.twitter.com/M7IyRNLc0n
— SpursRΞPORT (@SpursReporter) January 2, 2025
Simmons’ two most suitable Zion destinations not only boast a tremendous record of harvesting young talent, but they are also in the right situation for a player of Zion’s caliber to come in and make a difference.
In Texas, Wemby and the Spurs are currently in contention for a play-in spot, but without a second star next to the Frenchman, there are serious doubts if they can make it into the playoffs come April. As for Miami, the trade rumors regarding Jimmy Butler aren’t promising, and according to Simmons, a team led by Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo has no future without a legitimate star.
Also, Zion’s contract isn’t as risky as it’s made out to be. The Pelicans added certain stipulations surrounding the forward’s health, with a cut of his annual salary depending on whether he can stay below a certain limit or not. These factors add to Simmons’ reasoning on how the Spurs could take a calculated risk on Zion.
Zion Williamson’s odd contract situation
The most unique thing about Zion’s contract is the stipulations that the Pels’ front office added about his health and fitness. According to the details, he needs to have a combined weight and body fat percentage below 295 to guarantee 20 percent of his salary for the 2025-26 season.
Given how he’s also had issues with games played, the remaining 80% of his salary is entirely dependent on how many games he played the previous season. He gets 40 percent of his money guaranteed if he plays in 41 games, 20 percent if he plays in 51 games, and 20 percent if he plays in 61 games.
According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, because he missed so many games, the last 3 years of his latest extension are not valid. This team-friendly deal allows the Pelicans to protect themselves even if he gets injured, and using this clause, they could look to unload him onto another team’s payroll.
In reality, Zion Williamson going to the Spurs would be as close to a win-win for both teams as possible. If he regains full health, the Pelicans won’t have to pay the remainder of his contract because of their need to rebuild, and the Spurs get one of the most dominant players in the NBA.
If he cannot stay healthy, The Pels would’ve removed his wages from their bills, and the Spurs won’t be under any obligation to pay the majority of his hefty salary as he wouldn’t have met the contract conditions.
