Can Mavs Afford Celtics' Sign-&-Trade Asking Price for Grant Williams?
As we await the start of restricted free agency on Thursday, the Dallas Mavericks have been reported to have interest in several players. Among those on that list is Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams.
Williams' situation is tricky, because he wants more than what the Mavs can offer without having to do a sign-and-trade, which is the $12.4 million MLE. But even if Dallas got Williams to agree to that amount, the Celtics could still match the offer and simply use Williams as a trade piece next season. Given that the Celtics have hinted that they will match offers for Williams, what would be the Mavs' price in order to keep that from happening?
According to The Athletic, the Celtics are wanting a first-round pick in exchange for doing a sign-and-trade. And if that's the case, the Mavs should call their bluff and hold off, despite their interest in Williams.
"Boston has been seeking a first-round pick in return for Williams, according to league sources, though it’s rare for a sign-and-trade for a role player to yield that significant of a return," Jared Weiss wrote.
As much as the Mavs would like to fill as many roster holes as possible this summer, doing something hasty like burning your only available first-round pick (2027) for a player of Williams' caliber would be a major mistake. Dallas has some good things going for it after getting Kyrie Irving to re-sign to a long-term deal and drafting promising young rookies Dereck Lively II and OMax Prosper, and there's simply no need to dampen those good vibes by trading a pick for another role player.
If the Mavs want to offer Williams the MLE, that's perfectly acceptable. He might have better offers, but if that's the case, you let him walk and look elsewhere for upgrades in free agency or trades. And if he does accept an offer sheet worth the MLE amount, Dallas should call Boston's bluff on matching.
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