Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans quickly agreed to a contract extension this offseason, but the contract contains provisions based on his conditioning. 

According to league sources, Williamson’s contract stipulates that he will have weigh-ins periodically throughout the entirety of his new deal. The sum of his weight and body fat percentage must be below 295.

The guaranteed money in Williamson's contract can be reduced if he does not remain below 295.

Williamson was listed at 285 pounds in his lone season at Duke. He has been listed at 284 pounds with the Pelicans.

Williamson has suffered multiple lower body injuries since entering the NBA and missed the entirety of his third season. 

The New Orleans Pelicans announced that forward E.J. Liddell will be out indefinitely after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee.

An MRI done last night confirmed the injury, which occurred during the third quarter of Monday's Summer League game against the Atlanta Hawks.

A date for surgery has not yet been determined. Further updates will be provided appropriately.

The Pelicans used an early second round pick on Liddell last month.

Zion Williamson signed a full five-year max contract extension with the New Orleans Pelicans. But both sides have upside and protections in the deal too.

David Griffin shared that Williamson's extension includes no options. There's also no trade bonus in the deal either.

For Williamson's upside, the deal does include Designated Player language. If Williamson makes All-NBA, wins MVP or wins Defensive Player of the Year in this upcoming season, his extension will jump from 25% to 30% of the salary cap.

There are also games-played protections in the deal for New Orleans. If Williamson is unable to get and stay healthy, the Pelicans will be able to get out of the deal without owing Williamson the full amount of his contract.

Devonte' Graham was arrested in Raleigh, North Carolina, early Thursday morning and charged with driving while impaired, police records show.

Graham was arrested around 3 a.m., and local jail records as of noon ET show that Graham is not in the Wake County jail.

Graham joined the New Orleans Pelicans from the Charlotte Hornets last offseason.

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans agreed to a contract extension fairly quickly this offseason despite missing the entire 21-22 season coming off a broken foot.

"Sources tell me there are protections in Zion Williamson's max extension, but this is a deal he wanted to get done," said Shams Charania on The Pat McAfee Show. "As long as he's healthy and plays in these games, he's going to have no problems meeting these benchmarks."

Williamson's deal will increase to $231 million if he makes an All-NBA team this year. Williamson finished eighth in All-NBA voting among forward during the 20-21 season. 

Charania also suggested that the Pelicans would have to waive Williamson in order for the protections to be initiated. 

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to a five-year, $193 million maximum contract extension. The deal also includes Designated Rookie language that could push the value of the deal to $231 million.

In order to qualify for the bigger contract at 30% of the salary cap, Williamson must make All-NBA, win MVP or Defensive Player of the Year during the 2022-23 season.

The Pelicans are committing to Williamson despite the former first overall pick missing the entirety of last season. In all, the talented forward has played in only 85 games over his first three seasons in the NBA. But in those games, Williamson has shined. He's averaged 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting over 60% from the field.

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans are nearing agreement on a five-year max extension worth up to $231 million. The base max contract for Williamson will be $193 million with it elevating to $231 million if he makes an All-NBA team during the 22-23 season as the Designated Rookie.

"The deal is expected to include protections that both sides were sorting through overnight and will finalize, sources said," writes Shams Charania.

Since coming into the league in 2019, Williamson has been one of the NBA's most productive stars when healthy. 

The Pelicans can now not trade Williamson in a potential package for Kevin Durant due to this extension agreement.

Williamson is represented by Austin Brown and Lisa Joseph-Metelus.