Should the Nets Pick Up or Decline Williams’ Team Option?

Ziaire Williams had a good season with the Brooklyn Nets, but saw his minutes and starting opportunities decrease in what could be his last season in Brooklyn.

Williams re-signed last offseason on a two-year, $12.5 million deal. The contract included a team option for the second year, which the Nets must decide on by June 29. 

The 24-year-old did not decline this season; he averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists across 56 games. Williams posted similar numbers in the prior season, highlighting his consistency as a role player.

Despite the stability he offered, Williams saw his minutes decrease from 24.5 in 2024-25 to 22.9, and went from starting 45 games that season to 13. A key factor in this sharp decline isn’t poor performance, but coach Jordi Fernández prioritizing the rookies' development.

"The reality is, I have to develop the young guys," Fernández told reporters after Brooklyn’s loss on March 27. "We have five first-round picks, and guys we just acquired or guys we haven't seen enough. It's my job to get answers to what we want to do in the summer."

Williams had multiple games this past season with 10 points or more at the end of the third quarter, but would not find any playing time in the fourth. That trend called the 6-foot-9 forward's future with the organization into jeopardy. 

Fernández prioritized the rookies' development throughout the season, and it will be no different when the Nets draft No. 6 overall in this year's draft. Brooklyn is eyeing multiple prospects with its selection: Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., Tennessee forward Nate Ament and New Zealand Breakers forward Karim López.

Selecting Ament or López adds more depth to the Nets' forward position, but Williams' minutes may see an additional decrease. As a result, Brooklyn has a decision to make regarding the 24-year-old this summer.

Accepting his team option would keep him on the team, but he'd likely be a trade candidate next season with the young players developing. Rejecting his team option would open more cap space for Brooklyn, which Spotrac's Keith Smith projects to have $44.6 million in free agency.

Williams is a solid three-and-D wing, taking the assignment of guarding the opposition's top offensive players and knocking down wide-open threes. The former Stanford Cardinal shot just below league average from beyond the arc in the past two seasons.

He spent last offseason improving his jumper and added more variety to his shot diet. It played a significant factor in Williams' scoring stretches throughout the season, including games he didn't play in the fourth quarter.

“I work my butt off every day this summer,” Williams told reporters after Brooklyn's loss on Oct. 24, 2025. “Thousands and thousands of shots three times a day, all different footwork. There’s no shot that I shoot in a game that I haven’t worked on.”

Williams is on a cheap contract for the Nets, but adding more young players to the roster is jeopardizing his future with the team.

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