197 million US dollars in 5 years! 2nd in the league! Fat Tiger is a double-edged sword, he can no longer be the king of the penalty area

The New Orleans Pelicans have spent a questionable offseason, with expectations and hidden dangers. At the draft, the Pelicans selected young center Quinn with the No. 13 draw in the draft; after the free agent trading market opened, the Pelicans completed a McCollumpur deal, dug up Warriors meritorious center Looney for two years and $16 million, and gave Jones a three-year, $68 million contract. The Pelicans hoarded their inside talent at all costs, but the key is that they can't afford to be injured. The scenes of Zion, Murphy and Jones taking turns to get injured last season are still scary. In a sense, whether the Pelicans can rise on the spot depends on Fat Tiger Zion, as well as his weight and health.

In the past few years, the Pelicans have never been able to take off the hat of the Western Conference's puppet team, which makes people feel sad and angry at the misfortune! If we want to trace the origin, the key is that they are rare talents, but they cannot continue to realize their talents. Injuries are the culprit! From Thick Eyebrow to Zion, both of them are the top scorers in the NBA, but they all have the label of being a glass man! Take Zion as an example. As the No. 1 pick in 2019, he played no more than 30 games in four seasons in the first six seasons of his career. Among them, the rookie only played 24 games in the season, was reimbursed in the season 21-22, only played 29 games in the season 22-23, and only played 30 games in the season 24-25.

With only playing 85 games in the first three seasons of his career, the Pelicans are still reluctant to give up Zion's talent and give him a five-year, designated rookie clause renewal contract of $197 million. Of course, to be on the safe side, the Pelicans have added many additional clauses to this contract, and weight and attendance will determine whether his contract can be converted into full coverage. According to US media, if Zion passes 6 weighings in a single season, the contract will be guaranteed 20%; if Zion plays 41 games in a single season, the contract will be guaranteed 40%. According to Pelicans reporter Shamit Dua, sources revealed that Zion's contract for the 25-26 season will be converted into full guarantee!

I don't know if Zion passed all 6 weighings last season, but one thing is certain that Zion did not meet the assessment standards for the number of games played in the game. Last season, Zion played only 30 games due to injury, far lower than the 41 games stipulated in the contract. So, why did the Pelicans decide to convert his contract into full guarantee? In my opinion, the key is that the healthy Zion is really too fragrant! Take last season for example. Zion averaged only 28.6 minutes per game in 30 games, accounting for 24.6 points + 7.2 rebounds + 5.3 assists (career high) + 1.2 steals, with a shooting percentage of up to 56.7%. According to statistics, Zion averaged 18.9 points in the penalty area, ranking second in the league, second only to the Greek monster Antetokounmpo (19.8 points).

This is Fat Tiger Zion, the real double-edged sword - the healthy Zion is a big killer on the court, but his weight, health and rough play often kill one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of them! Even though Zion lost weight and even though Zion deliberately changed his playing style and increased the dealing scene, he still couldn't stay healthy in the long NBA season. In a sense, the Pelicans still transfer the Fat Tigers' contract to full guarantee while hoarding inside talents is actually preparing for both - they are willing to give Zion another chance to prove themselves. If Zion still cannot stay healthy next season, then the Pelicans are likely to adjust their team building plan again.

Zion's annual salary in the new season is US$39.44 million, the salary in the 26-27 season is US$42.17 million (unguaranteed), and the salary in the 27-28 season is US$44.89 million (unguaranteed). It is no exaggeration to say that even though Zion's contract in the new season has been completely guaranteed, the unguaranteed contract for the next two years is like the sword of Damocles hanging above his head, reminding him to control his mouth and legs at all times! Those who know the times are heroes, and those who make changes in the game are really heroes. If Fat Tiger wants to continue his NBA career, he must first control his weight, and secondly, he must continue to change himself to adapt to high-intensity NBA games. Don’t be obsessed with being the king of the penalty area. Improve the range and connect the team to become a top organizational striker may be the way to survive! Fans, what do you think about this? Let me leave me a comment and discuss it.