After four seasons in Boston, Grant Williams is apparently moving west.
Williams, who became a restricted free agency last week, will join the Mavericks as part of a three-team sign-and-trade deal involving Boston, Dallas, and San Antonio, according to Shams Charania of the Athletic.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Williams committed to a four-year, $53 million contract to enable the transaction.
While the Mavericks will add Williams to bolster their frontcourt, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe claimed that Boston will receive two second-round picks and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange.
In 2030, the Spurs will also obtain Reggie Bullock in exchange for an unprotected Dallas draft pick. If Boston had signed Williams to the same deal as Dallas, it would have fallen into the second tier of the luxury tax, increasing their luxury tax burden by a significant $40 million.
According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, last October, the Celtics and Williams’ representatives discussed a deal extension worth roughly $50 million over four seasons. However, the discussions were interrupted since both parties were unable to agree on the guarantee structure.
Williams’ new deal with Dallas is in a similar pricing bracket.
Williams was drafted by Boston in the first round (22nd overall) in the 2019 NBA Draft and evolved into a reliable bench option over his final two years with the franchise.
He played a significant influence inThe Celtics made two deep playoff runs in 2022 and 2023, giving them 3-point shooting, rebounding, and defensive intensity as a reserve.
However, following a breakout performance during Boston’s Finals run, Williams had an up-and-down 2022-23 season under first-year coach Joe Mazzulla.
Despite posting career highs in points (8.1) and rebounds (4.6) per game, Williams struggled to find consistent minutes in Mazzulla’s rotation, particularly during the postseason.
