“Luka kind of sets you up where you don’t have to do much,” the now-former Mavericks forward Grant Williams told our Rob Mahoney. “Just eat a bag of popcorn, knock down some open shots, and move on.”
Perhaps that was the rub. Since the beginning of December, Williams—who was a 39.7 percent 3-point shooter in his previous three seasons in Boston—has hit only a third of his attempts from deep. He wasn’t knocking those shots down. And while his stocky, fridgelike dimensions made sense surrounded by all the positional length in Boston, there were diminishing returns when he was asked to be the guy to cover for others. The Mavs were clearly all out of popcorn for him. Now they’re moving on. In the second of a series of deadline moves, the Mavericks traded Williams, Seth Curry, and a future first-rounder to the Hornets for P.J. Washington.
Washington presents an interesting bet on untapped potential for a player who had always seemed to be underappreciated by the Hornets brass—despite signing a three-year, $46.5 million extension this past summer. Sturdily built, athletic, with incredibly long arms for his 6-foot-7 frame, he offers the Mavericks a one-for-one Williams replacement who is more equipped to defend 4s and 5s while still posing a threat from the perimeter on the other end. Most importantly, this is the league’s first look at Washington on a team with contending aspirations. Along with an earlier trade to acquire Daniel Gafford in exchange for the seldom-used Richaun Holmes and a pick, the Mavericks have now completely shored up their frontcourt rotation with starter-level talent. How’s that for building something different around Luka? (I guess your answer would depend on how much you value the draft picks the Mavericks gave up to keep their Doncic timeline alive.)
For the Hornets, they get their guy, albeit with a bit of the luster worn away. Charlotte was close to sending Williams an … Offer Sheet [airhorns blare, klaxons wail, lights flash] last summer before the Mavs went on the offensive and designed a three-team sign-and-trade. Williams worked his ass off and had outlier development as a shooter in his time with Boston. It made sense to cash out for the opportunity to play with Luka. Oh, how quickly situations change. Get ready to learn Steve Clifford, buddy. —Danny Chau
