Grant Williams leaving Celtics for Mavericks in sign-and-trade deal

The 24-year-old Williams was drafted by the Celtics with the 22nd overall pick in 2019. He set career highs in points per game (8.1), rebounds per game (4.6) and assists per game (1.7) in his 26 minutes per game while playing in 79 games this season for Boston, starting 23 of those games.

The Dallas Mavericks and restricted free agent Grant Williams are finalizing a four-year, $53 million contract as part of a three-team sign-and-trade agreement with the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday.

San Antonio will receive forward Reggie Bullock and an unprotected first-round pick swap in 2030 from Dallas, while both the Celtics -- Williams' former team -- and the Mavericks will receive two second-round picks, sources said.

As part of the deal, Williams will sign a four-year, $53 million deal before being dealt to Dallas. The Mavericks will send Reggie Bullock, a pick swap and a pair of second-round draft picks to the Spurs, while Boston will receive three second-round picks as well.

Williams' market was a bit limited, as the rest of the league dealt with their own cap situations, but a suitor did emerge and Williams' tenure in Boston comes to an end after four seasons.

Last fall, the Celtics and Williams’ representatives discussed a contract extension that could have reached around $50 million over four seasons, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. However, the conversations were halted after both sides could not agree on the guarantee structure. 

Williams’ new deal with Dallas falls into a similar price range.

Drafted by Boston in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft, Williams developed into a dependable bench option for Boston over his final two years with the team.

His exit from Boston continues a roster shift following a disappointing Eastern Conference finals loss to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat. The Celtics traded longtime point guard Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-way deal to acquire Kristaps Porziņģis. The trade of Williams opens up salary cap flexibility as the Celtics and All-Star forward Jaylen Brown remain without a long-term extension.

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Sarah H

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