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The Brooklyn Nets finally made the decision of heading into a full-scale rebuild once they traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for as many as five first-round picks and three players. With Brooklyn beginning their latest rebuild, it makes sense that they are taking a chance on a former first-round pick.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on Friday that the Nets traded for Memphis Grizzlies forward Ziaire Williams along with a 2030 second-round pick (via the Dallas Mavericks) in exchange for forward Mamadi Diakite. Diakite was one of the three players that Brooklyn acquired from the Knicks in the Bridges trade last month.
Williams, 22, was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft before being traded to the Grizzlies in a three-team deal that sent Jonas Valanciunas to the Pelicans. After spending one season at Stanford University, Williams joined a Memphis squad that was trying to build around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. and as such, the former Cardinal could not find a stable role within the rotation.
To be clear, Williams has been a decent player for the Grizzlies in his three seasons with the franchise as he has career averages of 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 42.6% from the field and 30.1% from three-point land. Given Williams’ pedigree as a former lottery pick, Brooklyn made a low-risk, high-reward kind of move as he is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
Mamadi Diakite was acquired by the Nets in the Mikal Bridges trade with the Knicks last month.
Williams, 22, has spent the past 3 seasons with the Grizzlies and has averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game on 42.6/30.1/80.3 shooting splits for his career. https://t.co/Ah7JOcYWHD
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) July 19, 2024