The Los Angeles Lakers have secured free agent swingman Ziaire Williams on a one-year contract worth approximately $3 million, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Because Los Angeles has already exhausted its cap room on Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes and later used the room exception to sign Collin Sexton, the club can only extend a veteran minimum offer. For Williams, that figure comes to $2,845,883, while the Lakers will carry a $2,449,421 cap hit.
Williams, 24, spent the past two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets after three years in Memphis. The former No. 10 pick in the 2021 draft is entering his sixth NBA campaign. Last season in Brooklyn he averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals across 22.9 minutes in 56 appearances, shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three and 85.0 percent at the line.
The New Orleans Pelicans also pursued Williams, but the California native preferred to play closer to home and sought a contending environment.
Brooklyn declined its $6.25 million option on Williams at the end of June, making him an unrestricted free agent. At 6-foot-9, he offers the Lakers additional length on the wing and has developed into a reliable defender, though his career shooting splits sit at 42.2/32.2/82.4.
Williams will become the Lakers’ 15th player on a standard contract. Despite the signing, Los Angeles continues to aggressively target forward Jonathan Kuminga, a move that would likely require a sign-and-trade, league sources told Charania.
In a separate roster note, guard Austin Reaves signed a four-year, $180 million deal—about $5 million shy of a full maximum. The marginal discount, which includes a 4 percent raise in year two and the full $41.2 million maximum salary in 2026-27, could give the Lakers extra flexibility to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception in the 2027 offseason.
Source: Hoops Rumors
