Mavericks Acquire Grant Williams in Sign-and-Trade Deal

By: Marselis Davis

So far, the Mavericks have had an eventful free agency. Within the first week of free agency, Dallas managed to re-sign Kyrie Irving, re-sign Dwight Powell, sign Seth Curry and sign Dante Exum to the roster. It was safe to conclude that the Mavericks had made productive constructions to the roster so far. And given the recent news of their new acquisition, they are not done yet.

Details

On July 5, the Mavericks participated in a three-team deal with the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. In this deal, the Mavericks received forward Grant Williams from the Celtics via a sign-and-trade deal. In addition, the Mavericks sent away Reggie Bullock and 2030 swap rights to the Spurs in exchange for two second-round picks. The Celtics simply received two second-round picks in the deal.

In the sign-and-trade deal, the Mavericks signed Williams to a four-year contract worth $53 million. Given that the Mavericks acquired Williams through the means of a sign-and-trade, they still utilize their mid-level exception to acquire other free agents.

How Good was the Trade?

During his tenure with the Boston Celtics, Grant Williams served as a role player who typically came off of the bench. In the last two seasons, Williams has averaged 8.0 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game. In addition, he also shot 40.3% from the field on an average of 3.5 three-point attempts per game. This is a helpful tool for the Mavericks, giving them more floor spacing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

 However, the Mavericks would need more help in areas such as defense and rebounding rather than floor spacing. Fortunately, Williams could provide that as well. Weighing 236 pounds, he has a strong and stocky body that allows him to firmly keep offensive players in front of him. Despite Williams’ height at 6-foot-6, he is still capable of guarding taller and stronger forwards such as Giannis Antetokounmpo because his strength allows him to absorb plenty of contact and avoid being pushed around.

On the topic of what the Mavericks traded away, they lost Reggie Bullock and the rights to their 2030 draft picks. However, this was not a whole lot to lose to acquire Williams. Bullock was a decent 3-and-D player who shot about 38% from three this past season, but Williams is a better shooter and also provides good defense, so if anything, it was an upgrade for the Mavericks. The 2030 pick swap should not be that impactful either. With a generational superstar like Luka Doncic on the team, the Mavericks should be seeking to utilize picks in any way that boosts the roster to a contending level, and a pick swap is not much to lose.

Conclusion

This trade gave the Mavericks improvement in terms of floor spacing and defense, with two second round picks as a cherry on top. While this trade does not dramatically improve their roster, it does push them in the right direction in the process of retooling the roster.

Stay tuned for more breaking NBA content, including offseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.

“From Our Haus to Yours”