Before Ziaire Williams signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans reportedly made a push for the young forward.
The New Orleans Pelicans were reportedly in on former Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams, but ultimately lost out to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday afternoon.
Lakers insider Dan Woike of The Athletic reported after the signing that the Pelicans had "made a push in recent days." Williams is a California native, and Los Angeles has the appeal of Luka Doncic, so it's not too surprising that this is the choice that was made.
It will likely be frustrating for fans that the first real free agency news in a while is them losing out on a player, but it does show that they have been active and gives a bit of insight into what they're looking to do with their final roster spot (pending trades).
Williams is a 24-year-old wing who put up a nice campaign off the bench for the Nets with an immense defensive impact. Brooklyn was five points better per 100 defensive positions with him on the court, which is one of the best marks in the NBA. He has very active hands, picking up 1.4 steals per game last season.
While he wouldn't be described as a sniper, Williams was mostly a three-and-D player. he put up 4.5 threes per game and made 34.3% of them. He at least fits the profile of what this team needs out of a wing player.
If New Orleans does end up only signing one more player this offseason, expect it to be someone very similar to Williams.
