Jayson Tatum shares a heartfelt goodbye message to Grant Williams who was traded to the Mavericks - "My brotha for life"
Grant Williams' tenure with the Boston Celtics has come to an end. Recently, Williams was sent to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team, sign-and-trade that sent some second-round draft compensation to Boston.
Since joining the Celtics as the No. 22 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Williams has developed into one of the best three-and-d forwards in the NBA. On July 7, Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum posted a farewell message to Williams on his Instagram story.
Jayson Tatum posts his farewell to Grant Williams 👋
(📸 @jaytatum0 / IG) https://t.co/U8i7Ct61fe
"My brotha for life! Genuine to the core. Sick about it, but happy as hell for you and your family! Much deserved Love ya brodie! Until we meet up again!" Tatum wrote in the caption.
Throughout the 2022-23 NBA season, Grant Williams struggled to hold down a consistent rotation spot in the Celtics' offense. As such, his value around the NBA took a slight hit. Yet, that didn't stop the Dallas Mavericks from upgrading their frontcourt by adding Grant Williams to their roster.
Jayson Tatum will be without one of his closest friends on the Celtics roster. Boston has been busy this summer, making multiple moves to revamp their rotation, including the three-team deal to acquire Kristaps Porzingis.
It will be interesting to see how Jayson Tatum adapts to a larger leadership role in the coming season, as both Smart and Grant Williams had large voices within the Celtics locker room.
Grant Williams is excited to play with the Dallas Mavericks
During a recent interview with Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Grant Williams shared his excitement to join the Mavericks:
“The talent on this team is absurd,” Williams said. “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.
"As well as those young guys they have to grow and compete like (Olivier-Maxence Prosper), they drafted Dereck Lively. The Seth Currys, the vets in the world, they’re really talented.”
Williams is used to playing on a contending team, having spent the first four years of his career with the Boston Celtics - making multiple conference finals, along with an NBA Finals in 2022.
Another reason Williams likely decided to join the Mavericks is that they will potentially give him a starting role within their rotation due to the defensive versatility that he brings to the frontcourt.
A fun side note to Grant Williams' move to the Dallas Mavericks is that fans will now get a chance to see him guarding Jayson Tatum next season as the two contending teams go head-to-head.
Williams has a track record of doing well when guarding superstar big men but is sometimes susceptible to struggling against shifty wings such as Jayson Tatum.
Fortunately, it would appear that Tatum and Williams are too close to let a contending rivalry come between them, and will remain friends moving forward.