The days of Ziaire Williams in Tennessee would be counted. At least that's what the The Athleticwho mentioned the start of talks on the Memphis side with a view to transferring the 22-year-old winger.
The former high school teammate of Bronny James had managed to shine during his rookie season in 2022 in a then-hot squad with more than 20 minutes of playing time and 31 starts in 62 games alongside the Morant/Bane duo. But Ziaire Williams has clearly not convinced his franchise since, with two seasons where his shooting percentages have dropped, and where he has shone less, in a more difficult context.
It must be said that his limitations in attack penalize him against players like GG Jackson and Jake LaRavia.
The Grizzlies must also resolve this choice of an economic point, in order to remain under the “luxury tax”. Which would allow them to re-sign Luke Kennard in the process, since the departure of Ziaire Williams would free up $6.1 million in payroll.
The reason is also sporting, considering the many players in Taylor Jenkins' squad who will share the outside positions, since John Konchar, Desmond Bane, Vince Williams Jr, GG Jackson and Jake LaRavia will be part of the rotation, without forgetting the rookie Jaylen Wells, drafted in 39th position.
– Luxury tax : in the NBA, the salary cap is not strict, and the NBA allows the richest franchises to exceed the threshold set with a tolerance margin of around 20%. In this case, next year, franchises would normally have been able to spend up to $171 million. Then, for each dollar spent above this ceiling, franchises must pay the “luxury tax” to the NBA. A kind of tax that can be very expensive. Since 2024, the NBA has further punished franchises that spend too much with supervised recruitment.
| Ziaire Williams | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | SAME | 62 | 22 | 45.0 | 31.4 | 78.2 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 8.1 |
| 2022-23 | SAME | 37 | 15 | 42.9 | 25.8 | 77.3 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 5.7 |
| 2023-24 | SAME | 51 | 20 | 39.7 | 30.7 | 82.7 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 8.2 |
| Total | 150 | 20 | 42.6 | 30.1 | 80.3 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 7.5 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
