The Brooklyn Nets are bringing back a trade acquisition from last season. Free agent forward Ziaire Williams intends to re-sign with the team on a two-year, $12 million contract, league sources confirmed to ClutchPoints. The deal includes a team option in year two.
Brooklyn acquired Williams and a second-round pick from the Memphis Grizzlies in a salary dump last summer. The No. 10 pick in the 2021 draft had the best season of his career while stepping into a rotation role with the Nets. He averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals on 41/34/82 shooting splits over 63 appearances and 45 starts.
Nets kick off NBA free agency by re-signing Ziaire Williams to two-year deal
Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (8) takes a shot during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena.
Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (8) takes a shot during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena.
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Williams' three-point struggles held him back throughout his Grizzlies tenure. However, the 23-year-old made significant strides as an outside shooter in Jordi Fernandez's offense. He shot 34.1 percent from three on 4.8 attempts per game, both career-highs.
Williams also emerged as a quality point-of-attack defender in Brooklyn's rotation. The Stanford product consistently used his 6-foot-9 frame and 6-foot-10 wingspan to bother opposing ball-handlers and press up into passing lanes.
With his new contract, Williams enters another audition year in 2025-26 with the Nets. Should he build upon the improvement he showed last season, Brooklyn can bring him back on what would be a significant value contract ($6 million) in 2026-27.
“I tried to just trust their process, trust their vision. From day one, they told me exactly what they wanted out of me, and that was the standard I tried to hold myself to every night,” Williams said at his exit interview. “This season was definitely a positive step in my career. It was a step I was nervous to take. I was scared to take… I'm just happy I'm here, and happy I was able to re-identify myself and know the things that I'm good at. Just be able to focus on those things.
“Jordi [Fernandez] made it so easy for me. Really just played my butt off and shot the ball. It was that simple. I think the simplicity of what he wanted out of me was what allowed me to grow and play free and just be myself. I wasn't thinking. I haven't felt that way in a while… Hopefully, we get even better, I get better… We can make it to the playoffs and keep slowly making progress from there.”