Grant Williams reveals he was almost dealt to Bucks at trade deadline
Forward Grant Williams was the centerpiece of a three-team sign-and-trade to the Dallas Mavericks last offseason, agreeing to a four-year, $53.3 million deal after spending his first four seasons with the Boston Celtics.
What appeared to be a hand-in-glove fit in Dallas’ frontcourt turned out to be all for naught, as Williams never really found his footing in Dallas. He was eventually traded at the trade deadline in a deal for the Mavs to acquire P.J. Washington, getting sent alongside Seth Curry and a 2027 first-round pick.
However, Williams recently revealed that the Hornets weren’t the team that almost acquired him–instead being a conference rival of Boston, his former team.
“I think the only other team that probably would have been an option was Milwaukee but that deal kind of fell through,” he said on TruTV’s alternative broadcasts of Mavericks-Timberwolves on Friday. “Things happen.”
One could wonder who they were targeting from Milwaukee before the move fell through.
Dallas was hard-capped because of Williams’ sign-and-trade, meaning they could not exceed the $172.3 million first apron under any circumstance. So it likely was not in a position to acquire Khris Middleton‘s $29.3 million or Brook Lopez‘s $25 million if it wanted to maintain flexibility.
I’m not in the room–none of us are, so it will likely never be revealed–but my best guess is Bobby Portis ($11.7 million) plus maybe one or two other ancillary pieces. Both the Bucks and Mavericks were in contention in their respective conferences–unlike Charlotte–so both would’ve wanted players to help maintain a playoff chase.
To re-kindle his confidence, it was likely best that Williams, 25, ended up in a place with little expectation. He averaged 13.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists with Charlotte across 29 games, shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from 3-point range.
With three years left on his deal with a new front office and new coaching staff, who knows if he’s bound to be moved again or if they will wait until the deadline to assess Williams’ future with the team. But the thought exercise of him on another East contender is fun–the thrill of the unknown!
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