Days after re-signing point guard Kyrie Irving and adding sharp-shooter Seth Curry, the Dallas Mavericks continued to tweak their roster this week.
The NBA team has agreed to a three-team sign-and-trade that lands Boston Celtics restricted free agent forward Grant Williams in Dallas on a four-year, $53 million deal, ESPN reported.
Dallas also sends Reggie Bullock to the San Antonio Spurs and swaps first-rounders with the Spurs in 2030, while Dallas and Boston each receive two second-round selections. Boston also gets a $6.2 million trade exception.
Bullock spent the last two seasons in Dallas, averaging 7.8 points per game and shooting 37% from three-point range.
Boston drafted Williams with the 22nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after three seasons at the University of Tennessee, where he was a unanimous first-team All-American.
He gives Dallas a young forward who can handle an expanded role. In Boston, he was asked to primarily match up with opponents’ best big men defensively, even as an undersized power forward, but he has the ability to guard multiple positions. While he was not asked to do much offensively, Williams has proven to be a good shooter — especially from the corner.
Williams adds a versatile option to the Mavericks lineup. The team will need someone to step up next to Irving and Luka Doncic, and at 24 years old, he can become an integral part of a young core that includes Doncic, Jaden Hardy, Josh Green, and rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.
The Mavericks have sought out younger, more athletic, defensive-minded players this offseason, and Williams fits the bill with the potential to become a viable scoring option.
Dallas also attempted to add another promising and athletic young player to its team in Portland Trail Blazers’ fifth-year restricted free agent guard/forward Matisse Thybulle.
The Mavericks signed Thybulle to an offer sheet, reported to be around $33 million for three years. However, teams can match offers presented to their restricted free agents, and ESPN and the Athletic have reported that Portland will match Dallas’ offer for Thybulle.
Thybulle is a two-time All-Defensive team member in his short career but has yet to reach his potential offensively. He would have fit what the Mavericks wanted with high upside.