Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams has wasted no time making his presence felt on his new NBA team. Williams was acquired by the Hornets, along with Seth Curry and a 2027 first-round pick, from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for P.J. Washington ahead of the trade deadline last week.
It was a surprising move in the eyes of some, as Williams was a big free agent addition for the Mavericks just seven months ago. They signed him to a four-year, $53.34 million deal in a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics.
Williams got off to a great start with his new team at the beginning of the 2023-24 NBA regular season, but his production quickly teetered off. He was producing at a high level out of the gate, but by the New Year, he wasn’t providing the kind of production head coach Jason Kidd needed.
Williams was eventually removed from the starting lineup as Kidd tried deploying Williams as a small-ball five. That didn’t work either, as his 3-point shooting percentage plummeted and he wasn’t making an impact as a defender.
As a result, the Mavericks pushed hard to move Williams ahead of the trade deadline. They found a taker in the Hornets, who have to be pleasantly surprised with the production he has given them at the beginning of his tenure there.
The sample size is only two games, but Williams has been great coming off the bench for Charlotte. He has scored 36 points with 12 rebounds and four assists, knocking down 5-of-12 3-point attempts.
Charlotte is 2-0 with Williams in the lineup, picking up wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers. After the team’s victory over Indiana, Williams seemingly took a shot at his former team during a post-game interview.
“It’s great to get a win for the city and play for the jersey that’s across your chest, not on your back. Everybody touched the ball, we trusted one another,” Williams said.
That can certainly be interpreted as Williams calling some of his former teammates selfish, worrying about their own production and not putting the team first. Dallas plays an offense system heavily reliant on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, two ball-dominant players.
It certainly sounds like a change of scenery has benefitted both parties. The Mavericks are happy about the players they acquired ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline and Williams is enjoying his time to this point in Charlotte,
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