Nets, Grizzlies Rosters, Salary Cap amid Ziaire Williams, Mamadi Diakite Trade Rumors

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly acquired 2021 No. 10 overall draft pick Ziaire Williams in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Grizzlies agreed to send Williams and the Dallas Mavericks' 2030 second-round pick to the Nets for Mamadi Diakite and the draft rights to Nemanja Dangubić, who was the No. 54 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

Diakite had been dealt to the Nets earlier this month as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn to the New York Knicks.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, the trade may have been financially motivated for the Grizzlies, as moving Williams' $6.1 million salary puts them about $10 million under the luxury tax threshold and $14 million under the first apron.

The trade also creates some space for Memphis to re-sign free-agent guard Luke Kennard, which is something the organization has been working on, according to Wojnarowski.

Per Spotrac, the Grizzlies are also about $26.5 million under the second apron, and their current roster for the 2024-25 season is as follows:

• Ja Morant (G)
• Desmond Bane (G)
• Jaren Jackson Jr. (F)
• Marcus Smart (G)
• Brandon Clarke (F)
• John Konchar (G)
• Zach Edey (C)
• Santi Aldama (C)
• Derrick Rose (G)
• Jake LaRavia (F)
• Mamadi Diakite (F)
• Vince Williams Jr. (F)
• G.G. Jackson (F)
• Jaylen Wells (G)

As for the Nets, Spotrac lists them as being $5.1 million under the first apron and $15.9 million under the second apron with the following roster:

• Ben Simmons (G)
• Nic Claxton (C)
• Cameron Johnson (F)
• Bojan Bogdanović (F)
• Dorian Finney-Smith (F)
• Dennis Schröder (G)
• Ziaire Williams (F)
• Cam Thomas (G)
• Day'Ron Sharpe (C)
• Noah Clowney (F)
• Dariq Whitehead (G)
• Shake Milton (G)
• Trendon Watford (F)
• Jalen Wilson (F)

The 22-year-old Williams is a 6'9", 185-pound forward who starred for one season at Stanford before the New Orleans Pelicans made him a lottery pick and flipped him to Memphis.

Over the course of three seasons with the Grizzlies, Williams appeared in 150 regular-season games, starting 50 of them, and averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 three-pointers made in 19.6 minutes per contest, while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from beyond the arc.

With key players such as Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke all missing significant time last season, Williams enjoyed the best statistical campaign of his career.

He averaged a career-high 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.4 minutes per game, although he shot only 39.7 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from deep.

The injury-riddled Grizzlies were one of the NBA's worst teams last season with a 27-55 record, but they have designs on being much healthier next season and returning to the playoffs, and their roster depth made Williams expendable.

Brooklyn is clearly entering into a rebuild, and Williams should have a chance to play some significant minutes for the team next season.

The opportunities will be even greater if the Nets ship out additional veterans as well. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported last month that the Nets would be open to trading any of Ben Simmons, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanović, Dennis Schröder or Day'Ron Sharpe following the Bridges trade.

Diakite, 27, is a 6'9", 228-pound forward who doesn't figure to be a big part of the Grizzlies' rotation if they decide to keep him.

He has appeared in only 55 NBA regular-season games, and in six games last season split between the San Antonio Spurs and Knicks, he averaged just 2.0 points per contest.