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Report: Grant Williams 'Rubbed a Lot of People the Wrong Way' Before Mavericks Trade

Adam Wells

Seven months after being a key free-agent acquisition for the Dallas Mavericks, Grant Williams reportedly wasted no time wearing out his welcome before he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 15:30 mark), ESPN's Tim MacMahon said Williams "rubbed a lot of people the wrong way" in Dallas.

"The fact that they gave up a 2030 swap for Grant Williams and then dumped him as soon as they possibly could—they were determined to dump him. It's not just getting P.J. Washington," MacMahon explained. "They wanted to be out of the Grant Williams business. He rubbed a lot of people the wrong way."

The Mavs acquired P.J. Washington and two future second-round picks from the Hornets for Williams, Seth Curry and a 2027 first-round draft pick.

The Mavs paid a steep price to add Williams last offseason. They acquired him in a three-team sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs in which they sent an unprotected 2030 first-round pick swap to the Spurs.

It was assumed that Williams would give Dallas the three-and-D player it was looking for after trading Dorian Finney-Smith to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Kyrie Irving deal in February 2023.

Williams was a productive rotation player during his four seasons with the Celtics, but particularly over his final two years. He shot 40.3 percent from three-point range on 3.5 attempts per game in 156 appearances from 2021 to '23.

The early returns in Dallas on the Williams' acquisition looked very positive. He averaged 14.0 points per game on 52.9 percent three-point shooting in his first eight starts.

In 39 appearances since Nov. 10, Williams' performance cratered with 6.9 points per contest on 38.1 percent shooting. He came off the bench in 14 of his final 21 games with the Mavericks.

Head coach Jason Kidd has been using Josh Green in the starting lineup since Jan. 3. He's responded very well to the increased role with 12.2 points per game on 53.7 percent shooting (45.1 three-point percentage) in his 17 games as a starter.

Dallas has played well recently with three consecutive road wins against Eastern Conference opponents, including a 122-108 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday.

The Mavs get a clean break from a player who had fallen out of favor with the club as they try to make a push for the playoffs. Williams gets a chance to rebuild some of his value in a low-pressure environment with the Hornets.

   

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