Former Brooklyn Nets Wing Ziaire Williams Agrees to Deal With Lakers

The Brooklyn Nets have officially moved on from Ziaire Williams after the 24-year-old wing agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The move reunites him with former Sierra Canyon High School teammate Bronny James. The signing closes the chapter on Williams' two-year stint in Brooklyn, but it could also become a move the Nets come to regret.

Williams quietly put together the most productive season of his five-year NBA career in the 2025-26 season. He averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 42.5% from the field and a career-best 34.3% from beyond the arc in 56 games. His combination of length and defensive versatility made him a valuable rotational wing, and he showed flashes of becoming a dependable three-and-D contributor.

Advanced metrics also painted the picture that Williams was trending in the right direction. He posted a career-high true shooting percentage while cutting down on turnovers and improving his efficiency as both a catch-and-shoot option and movement scorer. Over the final stretch of the season, he caught fire from long range, knocking down over 43% of his three-point attempts during his final 22 games. The way Williams closed the season gave Brooklyn reason to believe another leap could be on the horizon.

Throughout the season, Williams was one of Brooklyn's better developmental success stories. The former No. 10 overall pick had begun carving out a legitimate NBA role after inconsistent seasons in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform. Williams' improved confidence and ability to capitalize on expanded opportunities during Brooklyn's rebuilding campaign showed that he was becoming more of a dependable veteran than an inconsistent young player.

The Nets still elected not to extend Williams, allowing the Lakers to take a low-risk gamble on a player still entering his prime. At just 24 years old and standing 6-foot-9, Williams fits the mold of the athletic wing every playoff team needs. If his late-season shooting improvement proves sustainable, Los Angeles may have landed one of the best deals in free agency.

For a rebuilding Nets team prioritizing youth and internal development, allowing Williams to walk for nothing is perplexing. While Brooklyn has accumulated plenty of young talent and draft capital, productive wings with size are difficult to replace. If Williams continues the upward trajectory he displayed last season in Brooklyn, the Nets may ultimately look back on this offseason as one in which they let a promising piece slip away at the wrong time.

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