After weeks of rumors and reports galore, Friday afternoon the Memphis Grizzlies finally pulled the trigger on a Ziaire Williams trade, as they agreed to terms on a deal that will ship him, along with a 2030 second-round pick via Dallas, out to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for tweener big Mamadi Diakite and the draft rights to Nemanja Dangubic, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The idea of seeing the former lottery pick sent out to the NYC borough was discussed in-depth among us here at BSB, as we believed such a trade partner could net Grind City a solid impact player in return for the forward's services.
Though, in the end, the organization may not have brought back a talent of such magnitude from Brooklyn (Diakite has flashed potential throughout his four-year NBA career, but he was likely viewed as more of a salary match than anything else), this deal still provides the Grizzlies with an opportunity to add an individual who has only proven to be a major contributor to their rotation.
Grizzlies now in a prime position to sign Luke Kennard to new deal
Earlier in the offseason, Memphis turned down the fourth and final year of Luke Kennard's contract, thus removing him from their books and sending him into the uncharted waters of NBA free agency.
Despite their decision to decline his team option for 2024-25, since executing such a move reports have consistently noted that the goal for both parties is to work on constructing a mutually beneficial new financial pact that would provide longer-term security for Kennard while also helping the cash-strapped Grizzlies duck under the dreaded tax thresholds and the NBA's daunting apron situation.
Had they kept their roster intact, the franchise was projected to be about $7 million over the luxury tax heading into next season.
Now, with them declining Kennard's final year under contract and trading Williams to Brooklyn (which moves his $6.1 million guaranteed salary along with him), the Grizzlies have created more salary cap flexibility to bring back their sharpshooting two-guard.
LUUUUUUUUUUUKE 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/pfBnZDOoNo
— Bally Sports: Grizzlies (@GrizzOnBally) January 10, 2024
Since arriving in Grind City mid-way through the 2022-23 campaign, Kennard has proven to be an integral part of the team's offensive strategy, as he serves as their primary floor-spacing weapon that surrounds the attack-oriented Ja Morant.
Serving in this role, the veteran has posted impressive per-game averages of 11.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting at a highly efficient 47.5 percent from the floor and 48.3 percent from distance.
As far as what his new contract with Memphis could look like, something in the range of three years, $30 million could prove to be solid for both Kennard and the franchise, as he would receive over $15 million in new money while still leaving the club on the outside looking in on being forced to make luxury tax payments.