Grant Williams seems hyped after getting traded to the Mavericks - "The talent on this team is absurd"
Grant Williams will be switching teams for the first time in his NBA career after the Boston Celtics traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team trade.
The Mavericks received Williams as Reggie Bullock went to the San Antonio Spurs with an unprotected pick swap from Dallas, while the C's got multiple second-round picks.
Williams seemed hyped to join the Mavericks this season and play next to talented superstars like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Here's what he told The Athletic about the move:
“The talent on this team is absurd. Kyrie and Luka, being able to put two superstars of that nature, two top 10 players or whatever you want to say, Kyrie is one of the best point guards in the league still."
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 https://t.co/7Bi6Dykydf
Williams had extreme highs and lows last season. He was a starter in the first few games and thrived. However, Williams lost his spot eventually with the injured Robert Williams returning. He also struggled with his game a bit, which led to him losing the momentum he had at the start of the year.
He maintained some of that form thanks to his excellent shooting splits. Williams averaged 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds on a 45/40/77 clip while playing 25 minutes a game. The love from Celtics fans wasn't consistent either, as Williams faced major ups and lows after tough games.
However, that's all in the past now. After securing a four-year $54 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks, Grant Williams looks excited for the change of scenery and the talent he would play with on his new team.
Grant Williams finds an ideal landing spot in Dallas
The Dallas Mavericks and Grant Williams seem like a solid fit for each other. The Mavericks' frontcourt depth gets better with the 6-foot-6, 3-and-D forward. Williams is also a reliable shooter, having connected on 39.5% of his shots from deep on 3.7 attempts, improving that to 45.0% on 2.7 attempts in the playoffs.
He's good with the ball in his hands and plays physically on the defensive end. He could be the Mavs' go-to option on that end against the opposition's best perimeter players. Dallas needed more depth at the four behind Maxi Kleber.
Reggie Bullock was their primary option, better suited at the three where there was a logjam with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green. With his 233-pound frame, Williams is perhaps a more dependable defensive presence than Bullock and a more consistent 3-point shooting threat as well.
We're going to do a quick Grant Williams doing GRANT! stuff on defense thread.
Look at how high up the floor he picks up Kevin Durant here. Williams does a great job moving his feet to cut Durant off and to force him into the corner. From there, it's a fumbled turnover by KD: https://t.co/vxGtGhbzXL
Williams' presence also ensures the Mavs can deal with Kleber's injury struggles, which they struggled with last year.