There were major questions entering this summer surrounding the future of Grant Williams. Between how hard it was to project out what he would command on the open market and how unlikely it seemed that the Boston Celtics would be able to bring him back due to financial restrictions after acquiring and extending Kristaps Porzingis, Williams was one of the more interesting cases on the restricted free agent market, as the best version of himself is something that any team could use.
While there were a handful of interested suitors, most were restricted to using the mid-level exception to sign him to an offer sheet unless there was a sign-and-trade to be worked out. On Wednesday, that exact scenario played out as the Dallas Mavericks were able to pull off a three-team sign-and-trade with the Celtics and Spurs, acquiring Williams on a 4-year, $53 million deal from Boston, with the Spurs taking Reggie Bullock into cap space along with a future pick swap, and Boston landing a pair of future second round picks, per Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski.
Sources: The Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics are finalizing a three-team trade:
– Mavs: Grant Williams
– Spurs: Reggie Bullock and an unprotected Dallas pick swap in 2030
– Celtics: Multiple second-round picks pic.twitter.com/7Bi6Dykydf— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 5, 2023
Restricted free agent F Grant Williams is finalizing a four-year, $53 million sign-and-trade agreement to land with the Dallas Mavericks, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2023
Compensation update: Boston and Dallas will each receive two second-round picks in the deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2023
Williams had a strange 2022-23 campaign as his role frequently changed, whether that meant going from the bench to the starting unit or seeing Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla prefer other players over him for stretches of the season. Despite that, Williams would end up registering solid numbers for essentially being a role player, as he averaged 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game, while connecting on 39.5 percent of his attempts from behind the three-point line. The No. 22 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after the University of Tennessee, Williams has spent his entire professional career in Boston up to this point, and started 23 of the 79 games in which he appeared last season.
Now he’ll join a Dallas team that is desperately in need of some stronger defenders, and Williams will bring that to their frontcourt while also being another floor spacing option. The Mavs also may not be done on the RFA market, as there are reports they’ll be using most of the mid-level to sign Matisse Thybulle to an offer sheet and try to pry him out of Portland.
