The Brooklyn Nets are still making moves on the trade market. They are acquiring forward Ziaire Williams and a 2030 Dallas Mavericks second-round pick from the Memphis Grizzlies for Mamadi Diakite and the rights to Nemanja Dangubic, the 54th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
With that, we evaluate the trade for both sides and offer grades.
Grading the trade for the Nets
Brooklyn is entering a rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a package including four first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and a second-round pick. When you hear the term rebuild, several words come to mind. Youth, low-risk and upside are near the top of the list, and Williams fits those descriptors.
The 22-year-old struggled to establish himself over the last three seasons after the Grizzlies selected him 10th overall in the 2021 draft. Williams averaged 7.5 points and 2.1 rebounds on 43/30/80 shooting splits in 150 games with Memphis. At 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he's a versatile defender who has yet to develop his offensive game.
The Stanford product is entering the final year of his rookie contract at $6.1 million and will be eligible for an extension until late October. General manager Sean Marks had success with low-risk reclamation projects early in his Nets tenure, acquiring castoffs like Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris and turning them into rotation-caliber players.
After acquiring Williams for free, Brooklyn's player development staff will have a full season to tap into the former lottery pick's upside. If he doesn't pan out and the Nets decide to cut bait next summer, they will have picked up a second-round pick in the process. That's the exact type of move the team should be making at this juncture.
Grade: A
Grading the trade for the Grizzlies
This trade is a salary dump for the Grizzlies. By moving Williams' $6.1 million guaranteed salary, they create more space below the luxury tax as they attempt to re-sign guard Luke Kennard.
There weren't going to be many minutes available for Williams in Memphis after he shot a career-low 39.7 percent from the field last season. The team has a logjam at forward between GG Jackson, Jake LaRavia, Brandon Clarke, Vince Williams Jr., Santi Aldama and 2024 second-round pick Jaylen Wells. Regardless, moving off a former 10th overall pick and giving up a future draft pick for no return has to sting.
Grade: D
Williams joins Cam Thomas, Day'Ron Sharpe and Keon Johnson as 2021 first-round picks on Brooklyn's roster. He'll join a wing rotation that includes Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Wilson…at least for now.
The Nets are expected to field offers for Johnson and Finney-Smith as we approach the regular season. Their potential exits would open a spot in the rotation for Williams, who should receive minutes this season as Brooklyn attempts to evaluate him in the final year of his contract.
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