Memphis Grizzlies trade Ziaire Williams, future NBA draft pick to Brooklyn Nets

The Memphis Grizzlies are trading forward Ziaire Williams to the Brooklyn Nets the team announced on Friday afternoon.

Memphis is also sending a future second-round pick in the deal while acquiring forward Mamadi Diakite and the draft rights to Nemanja Dangubic.

Williams, a first-round pick in 2021, started 50 games and made 150 appearances for Memphis. After a promising season as a rookie, Williams' shooting percentage went down each of the following two seasons while dealing with injuries.

Williams’ name had been mentioned in potential trades since February. He’s scheduled to make $6 million this season, which is a costly number since he’s unlikely to crack the Grizzlies rotation.

Diakite is on a much more manageable and lower salary at $1.2 million. This numbers get the Grizzlies further below the luxury tax and first apron.

The Grizzlies are now in a better position to bring back guard Luke Kennard if the team chooses to do so. Kennard has been viewed as a vital piece to the Grizzlies because of his shooting, but the team declined his $14.8 million team option with hopes of coming to terms on a better deal.

Williams averaged 7.5 points in 19.6 minutes per game over three seasons.

Diakite has played in 55 games over four NBA seasons with five different teams. Dangubic was the 54th overall pick in the 2014 draft. He hasn't appeared in an NBA game.

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com . Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies trade Ziaire Williams, future NBA draft pick to Brooklyn Nets