What Celtics’ leadership said of Grant Williams’ departure
While there’s no denying that Marcus Smart is the key change from the Celtics this offseason, they saw another rotation piece moved to another team. Grant Williams, who was a restricted free agent, was dealt to the Mavericks as part of a three-team sign-and-trade.
It was always going to be difficult for the Celtics to retain Williams because of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Williams ended up signing a four-year, $54 million contract with the Mavs, which would’ve been a hefty price tag a few years down the line. Rotation minutes also would’ve been difficult to come by for Williams as he already saw playing time fluctuations last season.
The sign-and-trade concluded Williams’ four-year stint in Boston as he was drafted 22nd overall in the 2019 draft. He broke out in his third season in the league, becoming an important 3-and-D forward for the C’s. His 27-point Game 7 against the Bucks in the 2022 East semifinals, where he knocked down seven 3-pointers, will go down as the highlight of his time in Boston.
“Anytime you get a guy and you have someone who has been with you for three or four years, I think the No. 1 goal is to leave it better than you found it,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I think Grant did a great job of that, and I’m excited for him to have an opportunity in Dallas to do what he does best. I wish him nothing but the best and I appreciate also what he said.
“It’s funny, floating into this role of being the head coach, there were a lot of relationships I had as an assistant coach. He was a guy that I was able to get really close with over my three years here along with a few others. I’m just grateful to who he is as a person and I’m excited for him as a player.”
Williams should slide into a Mavericks squad looking to bounce back after a disappointing finish to last season. It’ll be interesting to watch how Dallas looks next season with a full year of Kyrie Irving playing alongside Luka Doncic. Williams’ shooting and defense should fit well, and he’ll get plenty of open looks courtesy of the two star guards.
It was an up-and-down fourth season in Boston for Williams. He had a strong start to the campaign, building off the 2021-22 campaign. But he fell out of Mazzulla’s rotation, and the playoff minutes were sporadic. There were some positives mixed in with ineffectiveness. But Williams got a nice payday from the Mavs, and he’ll look to make an impact there.
“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,” Boston president Brad Stevens said of Williams in Summer League. “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.”