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Grant Williams sends strong message to Boston Celtics, fans after trade

By Sam LaFrance

SALT LAKE CITY, UT- FEBRUARY 18: Grant Williams, First Vice President of the NBA Players Association, speaks during the NBPA 2023 All-Star Weekend Press Conference at the Hyatt Regency on February 18, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT- FEBRUARY 18: Grant Williams, First Vice President of the NBA Players Association, speaks during the NBPA 2023 All-Star Weekend Press Conference at the Hyatt Regency on February 18, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Earlier this week, the Boston Celtics let Grant Williams join the Dallas Mavericks as part of a three-team sign-and-trade also involving the San Antonio Spurs. Three days after news of the agreement surfaced, Williams took to Twitter and shared some love towards the organization, its fans, and his former teammates.

https://twitter.com/Grant2Will/status/1677839726030753792?s=20

“To the Celtics, the city and my brothers: Thank you for your belief in me and support through all of our seasons of basketball and life,” Williams said in a tweet. “I’m beyond grateful to have been a part of this organization & will forever have love for the people that surrounded me in this experience.”

Williams signed a four year, $53 million contract as part of the move to Dallas.

The 24-year-old spent his first four NBA seasons with the Celtics, after being drafted in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. Over the years, he played a key role in three deep playoff runs — two the the Eastern Conference Finals and one to the NBA Finals.

Boston’s former No. 12 appeared in 288 games for the C’s, starting in 58 of them. He averaged 6.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting 45.1% from the field and 37.9% from beyond the arc. Williams also made an impact on the defensive end, taking on numerous tough assignments, like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.

Grant Williams was unsure of his future with the Boston Celtics

The morning after it was announced that Williams would be playing his basketball in Dallas, The Athletic’s Jared Weiss published an exclusive interview with the man himself. Williams opened up about the free agency process, explaining that he really wasn’t sure which team he’d be suiting up for in the fall.

“This time I was packing like I’m gonna be in Boston or I’m gonna move this to a different state,” Williams told Weiss. “I was confident just because my mom did a great job helping me keep my head through it. I can only imagine if I didn’t have the support system that I have because it’s one of those when you’re stressed about what’s next, I don’t know how much money I’m gonna be making. It’s just a lot of stuff to balance.”

He went on to add that he would’ve been happy to return to the Boston Celtics, even after the Kristaps Porzingis trade, which would’ve likely left his minutes scarce.

“With the (Porziņģis) news, I was excited about it ’cause even if they did end up matching me, I would probably be playing less but my whole thing is about winning,” he continued. “But the ability to come to a great team like the Mavericks and compete at a high level, and be involved to do things to show I can really pass and do more in the future, is really exciting for me.”

For more on the Williams trade, watch CelticsBlog’s Jack Simone and I discuss the deal here:

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