How Brad Stevens Explained Celtics’ Grant Williams Trade

The Celtics parted ways with a pair of homegrown talents in a span of less than three weeks early in the NBA offseason.

On June 22, Boston shipped Marcus Smart to Memphis in a three-team deal that allowed the Celtics to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, a talented and versatile big man. The return in Boston’s next deal was far less significant. The C’s collected two second-round picks and a second-round pick swap in another three-team deal that sent Grant Williams to Dallas.

The motivations behind the Smart and Williams trades obviously were very different. Brad Stevens touched on the latter while speaking with the media at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

“Obviously, Grant had a good four years with us and did a lot of good things and obviously every decision we make right now, you’ve got to have short- and long-term in mind, but he’ll do well,” Stevens told reporters, per MassLive. “We’re in a unique position obviously where, when we traded, we weren’t going to take much back. But I do think it’ll be a good opportunity for him and it gives us some flexibility here as we move forward. But he did a good job. He’s a hard guy to lose.”

The Porzingis trade also appeared to drive Williams out of Boston. According to The Boston Globe, the fifth-year forward and his team “made it clear” to Celtics brass that he wanted an opportunity to play, which became not as readily available when the 7-foot-3 2018 All-Star was dealt to Causeway Street.

Williams now has an opportunity to be a legitimate difference-maker with the Mavericks, who definitely could benefit from the Tennessee product’s leadership as well.