Grant Williams Sign-and-Trade Could Reshape in Celtics' Favor

With the three-team deal sending Grant Williams to the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade not yet finalized, the Celtics could aim to improve their return package.

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Last Thursday, the Celtics, Mavericks, and Spurs agreed on a three-team deal sending Grant Williams to Dallas in a sign-and-trade. Boston is getting two second-round picks from the latter and creating an approximately $6.3 million traded player exception (TPE).

The move demonstrates the intention of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, which will result in teams losing players despite both sides wanting to continue working together becoming commonplace.

But even though Williams has said his goodbyes to the organization that drafted him and the city he spent the first four years of his career in and has sat alongside Mavericks' team owner Mark Cuban at Summer League, the trade taking him to Texas is yet to get finalized.

That leaves open the possibility this deal gets folded into another that's agreed on but not completed. Or it could get slightly reconstructed. For instance, Boston could include a player on a non-guaranteed contract, allowing Williams' former franchise to receive someone making more than the TPE it stands to create from the trade's current form.

So, while the Celtics, who attended John Wall's workout on Sunday, could aim to add another ball handler or a player they believe can crack the top ten of their rotation, even if what this leads to is acquiring a player making more than the approximately $6.3 million traded player exception, that could help facilitate a deal for a more helpful individual than who Boston might add utilizing the TPE.

The latter's inability to get combined with other traded player exceptions or outbound player salaries to acquire someone making more than the TPE adds to the incentive for the Celtics to work towards getting more value from the deal sending Williams to Dallas.

Further Reading

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