Celtics moving Grant Williams to Dallas Mavericks in sign-and-trade

BOSTON — Grant Williams is heading to Dallas.

The restricted free agent is being moved to the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade, according to reports on Wednesday evening.

The deal will net Williams $53 million over the next four years, while the Celtics will be getting three second-round picks in return.

Shams Charania reported that it’s a three-team deal, with the Spurs getting Reggie Bullock from Dallas as well as a pick swap in 2030.

The 24-year-old Williams was drafted by the Celtics with the 22nd overall pick in 2019. He set career highs in points per game (8.1), rebounds per game (4.6) and assists per game (1.7) in his 26 minutes per game while playing in 79 games this season for Boston, starting 23 of those games.

Williams fell out of Joe Mazzulla’s rotations at times late in the year and in the postseason, but he’s likely a player the Celtics would have preferred to keep. Yet the salary cap implications of a contract like the one Williams is getting from the Mavericks would have created some future issues for Brad Stevens as he tries to navigate a world with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown earning max money in the near future.

Williams’ market was a bit limited, as the rest of the league dealt with their own cap situations, but a suitor did emerge and Williams’ tenure in Boston comes to an end after four seasons.