The Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of an offseason in which they’ll be trying to improve the team as much as possible after a 20-62 record in the 2025-26 season. Brooklyn has been making some moves during this summer such as trading for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle and now, the Nets are trying to preserve as much of their cap space as possible.
The Nets declined forward Ziaire Williams’ $6.25 million team option for the 2026-27 season on Sunday, according to multiple reports on the matter. Brooklyn had to consider the team options of Williams and center Day’Ron Sharpe coming into this offseason, but Sharpe’s deadline was pushed back until Monday while Williams’ deadline remained on Sunday.
With the Nets declining Williams’ team option, he now becomes an unrestricted free-agent, but Brooklyn could still re-sign him as part of their offseason moves. As various salary-cap experts have said over the course of this offseason, the Nets would be able to maximize their cap space by declining options, depending on what contracts those players signed to come back to the team.
Williams, 24, ended the 2025-26 season with averages of 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 42.5% from the field and 34.3% from behind the three-point line in 56 games played. While Williams has been known for his defensive ability on the perimeter, he showed last season that he has been working hard to improve his offensive game so that he can be more of a threat on both ends of the floor.
Time will tell if the Nets will be able to re-sign Williams given the season he just had, but it seems that Brooklyn would be better-served to bring him back, especially with the team still needing talent. NBA free-agency begins tomorrow so there should be plenty of news for fans around the league to keep up with, hopefully including Williams coming back to Brooklyn.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets decline Ziaire Williams’ $6.25 million team option
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire | USA TODAY Network
