The ‘other’ Mikal Bridges trade working out for Brooklyn Nets..
Rebuilds require some luck as well as some skill in deal making and development. If you find a hidden gem, that’s a bonus.
Thirteen days after the Mikal Bridges trade was finalized last July, the Brooklyn Nets made another deal, sending Mamadi Diakite, a 27-year-old with only $100,000 guaranteed, and long-forgotten draft stash, to the Memphis Grizzlies. Diakite had been a throw-in in the all-New York trade, having played only eight minutes in three games for the Knicks in 2023-24.
In return, Brooklyn got Ziaire Williams plus the 2030 Mavericks second rounder to sweeten things. The Grizzlies had given up on the 22-year-old who they had taken at No. 10 in the 2021 NBA Draft. They needed cap space so they could re-sign Luke Kennard. Even without Williams, you’d have to consider the deal a nice add-on to the Bridges trade, yet another draft pick to add to that haul. Moreover, Diakite was ultimately cut by the Grizzlies, then signed by the Suns and waived before finishing things up with Phoenix’s G League team.
Williams on the other hand has proven himself an NBA player. He’s had a generally productive time in Brooklyn, improving his game, particularly his woeful shooting, as Brian Lewis noted this week. Always a solid wing defender, his 3-and-D potential was marred by his lack of the “3” in the equation. Before joining the Nets, he had shot a career 30.1% from 3-point range, and just 30,7% in 2023-24.
Now, though, Williams has seemingly turned the corner. With five games to go in 2024-25, he’s averaging double figures in points at 10.1, adding 4.6 boards and shooting 41/34/83 to the mix while starting 42 games. Moreover, his shooting keeps improving, as Lewis writes.
When Williams went down with a left knee sprain in December shooting just .273 from deep, it looked like more of the same. But he’s hit .357 since that monthlong absence, and a solid .367 in his last 18 games since Feb. 24.
How’d that happen? The Stanford product says part of it has been the confidence his increased playing time has given him … enhanced by some work with Jordi Fernandez’s coaching staff.
“When you see the fruits of your labor paying off, it always does help and feels a little good. So, just trying to trust my work,” Williams said.
“Really just rhythm. Rhythm and just staying on track, shooting straight line drive every time” he told the Post. “But the main thing is shooting the same shot, not really focus on the result and not worrying about feet and legs and arms, just focusing … and shooting the same. That’s really about it.”
He also credits assistant coaches Connor Griffin and Corey Vinson, calling Griffin his go-to guy.
“If I had to say two names, those two have definitely been just the most influential,” Williams said. “I’ll shoot, I miss twice in a row. They’ll say one thing and I’ll listen, and the next one goes in. So they definitely know what they’re doing.
It’s not just form, either, he said when referring to the development work of Griffin and Vinson
“That’s why I’m mixing in more of working on pump fakes, and one dribble, just a little escape dribble just to get away on those hard closeouts for sure. But at the end of the day they always tell me, ‘you’re 6-[foot]-10,’ so most guys aren’t going to block it; just shoot over the top and you’ll probably get fouled and-one. It’s funny; I’ll pass up one shot that I’m like ‘ah, I don’t know if I’m open or not,’ and they get pissed. So it always does help when you’ve got guys yelling at you for not shooting.”
Now, attention will turn to his free agency where he will be a restricted free agent along with Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe this summer. He’s made $6.1 million this season and because he’s started half the Nets games and his high draft slot, his qualifying offer come July 1 will be $8.4 million. He told Lewis that he’s not worried about it … yet.
“I mean, I’d be lying if I told you the thought wasn’t there,” admitted Williams. “But it’s not something I really trip over. I try not to just [focus on it]. I try just to play winning basketball, man: shoot when I’m open, pass when it needs to be passed. I just play my hardest, man.
“I know my agent and my representatives — and more importantly God — they’ll take care of all of that. So, I’m just enjoying the [game], just being in the moment, being where my feet are. And then, when that time comes, then I’ll get a little bit more happy about it.”
A starting salary of $8.4 million is not happening, per some pundits who gauge player value, but there are ways that he and the Nets could get to that happy medium and keep him in Brooklyn … if that’s what both sides want. Those decisions though are in the future. At the moment, the present looks like a big improvement over the past for Williams.
In other comments to Lewis, he certainly made it clear he likes where he’s at.
“Every game is still fun. Of course our record isn’t what we want it to be, but we’ve learned a lot this year, and it’ll be even better next year.”
In Sean Marks first rebuild, he scored big with two players who he rescued from NBA oblivion, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie. Both became solid NBA players with career earnings approaching $100 million. But those rosters were also filled with forgettable names of forgettable players who didn’t quite make it or if they did their NBA lifespans were short. It’s how rebuilds work.
The same is true in this rebuild, too. The question is whether any of the young players on the league’s fourth youngest team will reach the levels that Harris and Dinwiddie did. But in each case, they, including Williams, will get the chance.
Cavs’ collapse vs. Kings exposes cracks as playoffs near.
The Cavs fell short in a critical test, squandering a shot at the East’s top seed as questions about their focus and playoff readiness grow louder.
Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers had every reason to rise against Zach LaVine and the Sacramento Kings. One win away from clinching the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the city buzzing, a sellout crowd roaring, and the playoffs just two weeks out—this was supposed to be a celebration. Instead, Sacramento turned it into a wake-up call, handing Cleveland a 120-113 loss that stung far beyond the final buzzer.
It wasn’t just another game. This was a chance for the Cavs to make a statement, to show that their early-season dominance hadn’t evaporated into spring haze. But the effort wasn’t there. The intensity wasn’t there. And the execution? That evaporated entirely during long stretches of uninspired play.
It’s becoming an unsettling trend.
This wasn’t a one-off. The issues—lackluster defense, poor shot selection, waning focus—have crept in like shadows over the past month. The crisp ball movement, suffocating rotations, and next-man-up mentality that defined the Cavs during their three longest win streaks have vanished. In their place: confusion, inconsistency, and complacency.
The Cavs let the Kings tip the scales scoring-wise
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) during the second half at Rocket Arena.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The loss to Sacramento wasn’t some fluke. The Kings, led by a scorching Zach LaVine (37 points) and a vintage DeMar DeRozan (28), seized the moment. Add in Domantas Sabonis’ near triple-double and a questionable late-game shot-clock violation that wasn’t called, and the Kings walked out of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with a confidence-boosting win—and left the Cavs searching for theirs.
What made the defeat more jarring was the emotional rollercoaster attached to it. Early in the second half, Donovan Mitchell collapsed in pain with an apparent left ankle injury. The entire arena held its breath. Trainers helped him to the locker room as the crowd groaned in collective concern. For a team preaching the importance of health heading into the postseason, this looked like the nightmare scenario.
But Mitchell returned. And when he did, it was electric.
With the Cavs down four midway through the third, Mitchell’s entrance reignited the building. He immediately fueled a 10-0 Cleveland run to start the fourth, scoring five and assisting on the rest. Ty Jerome’s floater gave Cleveland the lead back, and for a moment, it felt like the night might still belong to the Cavaliers.
Then reality hit.
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