Grant Williams Speaks Out After Reported Celtics-Mavericks Trade

Grant Williams reportedly has been traded by the Celtics to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal that netted Boston multiple second-round draft picks.

Dallas will give Williams, who was a restricted free agent entering the offseason, a four-year contract worth $53 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

When talking with The Athletic’s Jared Weiss on Wednesday night after the reported trade, Williams admitted he understood a trade could take place this offseason. He was seeking a long-term contract the Celtics were not going to give, especially after their trade for Kristaps Porzingis. That Porzingis deal two weeks ago made it even more unlikely Williams would remain in Boston.

“I had an understanding of that most of the way,” Williams told The Athletic. “I know how the numbers work out and yeah, they could have afforded to keep me. But it’s one of those things where you’re really committing and after the prior year, I didn’t think it was realistic.

“Hey, Boston was trying to maintain their leverage,” Williams told The Athletic. “It’s one of those where you can’t be mad at them for it because it just shows they want you to be there in a way.”

In the end, the Green didn’t make it work. Instead, they reportedly traded Williams in a three-team deal also involving the San Antonio Spurs. Boston received two second-rounders, per Wojnarowski.

Williams was drafted in the first round in 2019 and went on to carve a role as a 3-and-D contributor. The 24-year-old forward was largely impactful against Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo during Boston’s run to the 2022 NBA Finals. He did, however, fall out of favor in Joe Mazzulla’s lineups this season, averaging less than 18 minutes per game in the playoffs after playing 27 minutes per game the campaign prior.