Grizzlies clear some tax space, Nets take a flyer on Ziaire Williams

Keith Smith
Keith Smith, Resident NBA ExpertJuly 20, 2024
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#nba #trade #ziaire williams #mamadi diakite #brooklyn nets #memphis grizzlies
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The Memphis Grizzlies needed to clear some room under the luxury tax to re-sign a key rotation player. The Brooklyn Nets are in rebuilding mode. That made them ideal trade partners in a smaller late-July deal that could pay big dividends down the line.

Here are the particulars of the trade:

Brooklyn Nets acquire: Ziaire Williams, 2030 Dallas Mavericks second-round pick

Memphis Grizzlies acquire: Mamadi Diakite, draft rights to Nemanja Dangubic

Let’s dive in!

Brooklyn Nets

Incoming salary: $6.1 million in 2024-25

  • Ziaire Williams (SF, one year, $6.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $2.3 million in 2024-25

  • Mamadi Diakite (PF, one year, $2.3 million)

The Nets are taking a flyer on Ziaire Williams. This is the exact type of move a rebuilding team should be making. And this is the kind of no-risk move that has paid off big for Sean Marks in the past.

After a promising rookie year, where he played well in the second half of the season, Williams has suffered two injury-plagued seasons and never found his rhythm. As a rookie, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 8.1 points on 45% shooting. From January onward, it seemed Williams had found his footing in the NBA, as he averaged 9.6 points on 48% shooting.

The next two seasons were a mess with injuries and inconsistent play. By the end of last season, Williams was back on the shelf with an injury, and had been passed in the rotation by Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson.

Still, Williams has good size and is a good athlete. He’s only turning 23 before next season. He’s extension-eligible, but it’s unlikely the Nets will look to sign Williams to a new deal.

It feels like Brooklyn is only just getting started with moving on from veterans this offseason. If they trade any of Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic or Cameron Johnson, Williams will have a clear path to all the minutes he can handle. At the cost of taking on about $5 million in guaranteed salary, that’s a no-risk flyer with upside.

Memphis Grizzlies

Incoming salary: $2.3 million ($1.4 million guaranteed) in 2024-25

  • Mamadi Diakite (PF, one year, $2.3 million ($1.4 million guaranteed))

Outgoing salary: $6.1 million in 2024-25

  • Ziaire Williams (SF, one year, $6.1 million)

No offense to Mamadi Diakite, but this trade wasn’t about him. Nor was this deal about acquiring the draft rights to Nemanja Dangubic either.

Diakite may stick around in Memphis for a while. They could use another frontcourt player, and Diakite is a hard worker who plays with great energy. Considering his deal is guaranteed for $1.4 million, the Grizzlies might as well bring him to camp to see what he can do.

As for Dangubic, the 31-year-old forward is unlikely to ever come to the NBA. He’s found a role as a journeyman backup shooting forward on various European clubs over the years. That’s likely to continue for the next couple of years.

For Memphis, this deal was about clearing some additional room under the luxury tax. The Grizzlies didn’t want to pay the luxury tax this season, and potentially start the clock towards being a tax repeater down the line. But Memphis did want to re-sign Luke Kennard. Something had to give.

Now, the Grizzlies can have the best of both worlds. Memphis is about $10 million clear of the luxury tax. That’s enough room to re-sign Kennard to a fair-value contract. Memphis could even start Kennard’s deal high and have it decline in value from year to year. That might mean shedding another salary along the way, but that’s hardly an impossible task.

This is also a good sign that the Grizzlies are open to cutting bait on former draft picks as necessary. Memphis has historically been reluctant to move on from players they invested in as former draft picks. And the Grizzlies also did swing a trade to acquire Williams, adding to their attachment. But sometimes, when the roster starts to get full, you have to move on, no matter the investment made.

Kennard will play a bigger and more important role in any success the Grizzlies have this season and beyond. Memphis has other options at the small forward spot now too. This was a good, smart move that should pay off in better roster balance with Kennard back in the fold.

 


#nba #trade #ziaire williams #mamadi diakite #brooklyn nets #memphis grizzlies
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