According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the Dallas Mavericks were determined to trade forward Grant Williams, who supposedly “rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.”
The Mavericks traded Williams and guard Seth Curry to the Charlotte Hornets for swingman PJ Washington at the NBA trade deadline.
The Mavericks acquired Williams from the Boston Celtics last offseason in a sign-and-trade deal. Williams, who has the same agent (Bill Duffy) as Dallas superstar Luka Doncic, signed a four-year, $53 million contract as part of the sign-and-trade deal.
The 25-year-old Williams averaged 8.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists with the Mavericks before getting traded. The forward shot 41.3% from the field, 37.6% from beyond the arc and 74.5% from the free-throw line.
The Mavericks went 24-23 with Williams in the lineup. Williams had a brutal plus-minus of -116 with Dallas, who are currently on a five-game winning streak.
Along with Washington, the Mavericks also traded for Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards. Dallas is 31-23 on the season, good for eighth place in the Western Conference standings.
Williams is making $12.4 million this season. He has career averages of 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists with the Celtics, Mavericks and Hornets. Williams was the 19th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Tennessee.
With Doncic and one-time NBA champion Kyrie Irving leading the way, Dallas is a title contender. Meanwhile, the Hornets are one of the worst teams in the NBA. They are in 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of only 12-41.
Charlotte and Dallas play each other on April 9 at the Spectrum Center in North Carolina. It will be fascinating to see how Williams is greeted by his former teammates.
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