The Los Angeles Lakers are weighing a move for swingman Ziaire Williams after the Brooklyn Nets declined his $6.25 million team option for the 2026-27 season, according to The Athletic’s Dan Woike.
The decision places the 6-foot-9 Los Angeles–area native on the open market when free agency begins. League sources told Woike the Lakers are interested in the 24-year-old as they seek to add younger, more athletic wings while holding one of the league’s few sizable salary-cap cushions.
Williams averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 22.9 minutes over 56 games (13 starts) for Brooklyn last season, shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three-point range. His 40-inch vertical leap and 6-9 frame have prompted optimism inside the Lakers’ facility that he could become a high-end perimeter defender with room to expand offensively.
The former Sierra Canyon High School standout, who shared the court with Bronny James, entered the league as the 10th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021 after one year at Stanford. He struggled early in Memphis before finding a steadier role with the Nets over the past two seasons.
Los Angeles has also been linked to free agents Cameron Johnson, Dean Wade and Jock Landale as vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka explores multiple roster paths ahead of the July negotiating window.
Source: LakersNation.com
