Mavericks Acquire Grant Williams In Three-Way Trade, Where Does Kyrie Irving Fit In?

Celtics forward Grant Williams is heading to the Mavericks in a three-way trade between the two teams and the San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics received three second-round picks in the deal.

Williams has spent all four of his seasons in the NBA playing for the Celtics, serving as a key big man off the bench for teams that lacked size. After Boston acquired center Kristaps Porzingis in another three-team trade earlier this offseason, Williams became a key trade piece as the team began a refreshed hunt for a championship. The team likely expects the core of Porzingis, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to compete without the need for another presence in the paint.

The former Celtics forward will join a Mavericks team that is currently in flux. Though Luka Doncic remains a consistent force, Dallas seems torn as it considers options for Kyrie Irving, the controversial star who joined the team during the 2022-23 season. The Mavericks missed the playoffs despite his contributions.

Williams could serve a similar role in Dallas that he did in Boston for four seasons, providing physicality in the paint on both ends for a team that largely depends on shots from beyond the arc. Though he won’t launch the team into contention for a championship, the team is already a legitimate contender with Doncic on the payroll and may only need a few more supporting pieces. Williams has improved in each of his four seasons in the league and scored 8.1 points per game with 4.6 rebounds last year.

Before he began his career in Boston, Williams played three seasons at the University of Tennessee, where he was a first-team All-American and consensus SEC Player of the Year in 2019. As a key member of the Volunteers, he led the team to two NCAA Tournaments in 2018 and 2019. He was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.