The Lakers officially filled their 15th roster spot Wednesday, and it’s not the big name some fans were hoping for. Ziaire Williams is joining Los Angeles on a one-year deal worth roughly $3 million, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Williams was the No. 10 overall pick in 2021, which makes this a low-risk flier on a guy who has shown flashes but never really put it all together. He spent three seasons in Memphis before getting traded to Brooklyn ahead of the 2024-25 season. Now he’s heading to L.A., where he’ll reunite with his high school teammate Bronny James. That’s a nice story, but the Lakers aren’t paying him for nostalgia.
What Williams brings to the table
This past season with the Nets, Williams played 56 games and started 13 of them. He averaged a career-high 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 steals in about 22 minutes a night. His shooting splits were 42.5 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three and 85 percent from the free-throw line. Those three-point and free-throw numbers were also career highs.
So the guy is trending in the right direction. He’s long, athletic and can guard multiple positions. The question has always been consistency and whether he can stay healthy enough to matter. For $3 million, that’s a bet worth making.
The bigger picture for L.A.
The Lakers had interest in Jonathan Kuminga, according to reports, but nothing materialized there. Barring any last-minute surprises, this is the roster they’re rolling with next season. They’ve added seven new players this offseason through trades and free agency: Williams, Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Jaden Hardy and Kevon Looney. That’s a lot of new faces around Luka Doncic.
Williams is entering his sixth NBA season, which feels weird to say for a guy who just turned 23. But that’s the league now. Young players get thrown into the fire early, and by the time they hit year five or six, they’re either established or running out of chances. This is probably Williams’ best opportunity yet. The Lakers need wing depth, and he’s cheap enough that they can afford to be patient.
If he hits, great. If not, it’s a one-year deal and they move on. Simple math for a team that’s trying to maximize its window with Doncic.
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