Free agent wing Ziaire Williams has agreed to sign a two-year, $12MM contract to remain with the Nets, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links). According to Charania, the second year of the deal will be a team option.
Williams, a former No. 10 overall pick who was acquired from Memphis in a trade last offseason, averaged 10.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game across 63 outings (45 starts) for Brooklyn in 2024/25.
While his 34.1% three-point percentage wasn’t great for a wing, it was a noticeable step up from the 30.1% mark he posted in his first three NBA seasons, and he showed off impressive defensive versatility, even handling center duties in a pinch.
The Nets opted against tendering Williams an $8.35MM qualifying offer that would have made him a restricted free agent, but that was more about their cap management than their level of interest in a new deal with the 23-year-old. As an RFA, he would have had a cap hold exceeding $18MM, cutting into Brooklyn’s projected cap space in free agency.
Now, the Nets will just have to earmark a small portion of cap room (likely between $5-6MM, based on the terms reported by Charania) to bring back Williams. The team could also fit his new contract into the $8.8MM room exception.
The second-year team option will also give Brooklyn some flexibility next offseason, though it’s still to be determined whether the club intends to open up significant cap room again in 2026.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract or a two-year deal that includes a second-year team option typically has the right to veto a trade during the following season. However, a player can agree to give up that right as part of the contract negotiation. It’s not yet known whether Williams will do so.
In the wake of Sunday’s player and team option decisions, Williams had moved up to No. 43 on our list of 2025’s top 50 free agents.