Grant Williams speaks out on the ‘nerve-wracking’ experience he had in restricted free agency before his trade to the Mavs.
The Dallas Mavericks are now Grant Williams’ new team. Following the Mavs’ signing of a sign-and-trade agreement with
the Boston Celtics, the 24-year-old will now get a staggering $53 million over the next four seasons from the Mavs.
Williams’ path to the Mavs did not come without complications, though. The 6-foot-6 power forward was an unrestricted
free agent, which meant that the Celtics had the right to match whatever offer sheet he signed with an opposing team. This
was the hardest part of the process, according to Williams:
“Very difficult. Restricted free agency is terrible,” Williams said, via Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “Unrestricted, you have a
good understanding of where you want to go, but restricted, you’re pretty much in a waiting game.
“You want to make sure you understand what the offers are but also understand that teams might match or a team might be
asking for more than another team is willing to give. It’s definitely an interesting process. I still think free agency is a little
bit fun, but also a little bit nerve-wracking.”
That’s all water under the bridge now. Williams has a clean slate with the Mavs and at this point, he intends to do everything
he can to help his new team achieve its goals.
Williams also opened up about how hyped he is now that he’s in Dallas. He is well aware of what this team is capable of with
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving at the helm, and Williams hopes to bring everything and anything he can to the table:
“I remember being super stoked and excited because of the organization and the people there,” Williams said Friday.
“And also the team and the potential there and the growth they have shown. Coming off a Western Conference finals
appearance two years ago. And the past year not necessarily having the year they wanted to have, and getting Kyrie and
trying to accustom themselves to a new group.
Western Conference Finals, but further.”
Grant Williams has high hopes for the Mavs. Let’s see if he can deliver.
Damian Lillard Trade To Celtics Could Look Like This
The biggest news in the NBA recently was Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard doing a 180-degree turn
from recent years and requesting a trade from the team. For a long time Lillard was committed to sticking things out in
Portland and helping turn them into a contender, but this offseason, he seems to have reached his wits end.
Making matters even more complicated for the Trail Blazers is that Lillard has made it very clear he wants to go to the
Miami Heat. His representation has gone as far as to say that if their client is traded elsewhere, he isn’t even going to show
up.
That will almost certainly scare most teams away from making an offer for Lillard, but it would be hard to imagine him
actually no-showing on a new team. Could he be disgruntled for a little while? Sure. But, depending on where he landed, he
could be contending for a title right away, which is the ultimate goal.
One team who could look to make a splash and land Lillard, in the opinion of Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, is the Boston
Celtics. They have been ousted by the Heat from the postseason twice in the last four years and should be motivated to make
sure another star doesn’t end up in South Beach.
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