Mavericks Free Agent Guard Lands Prove-It Deal With Golden State Warriors

NBA free agency has mostly come to a halt, as most teams have fully filled out their rosters, except for a couple of teams looking to find end-of-roster players.

One such team is the Golden State Warriors, as it was announced on Tuesday morning that they had signed former Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams to a one-year, $2.6 million deal, according to ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania.

Williams averaged a career-high 13.0 PPG and 3.9 APG in 66 games last season, but the Mavericks decided not to bring him back despite their holes in the backcourt, opting instead to trade up for Sergio De Larrea in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft and taking on Marcus Sasser in a trade as a salary dump.

Free agent guard Brandon Williams has agreed to a one-year, $2.6 million deal to sign with the Golden State Warriors, agents Derek Lafayette and Curtis Lawrence tell ESPN. Williams averaged 13 points, 3.9 assists and 22.2 minutes per night across 66 games for Dallas last season. pic.twitter.com/VcDytjCDKe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 25, 2026

The biggest issue with Williams is that he is not a good three-point shooter, which makes him a curious fit with the Warriors. He shot just 23.2% from three last season, the worst in the NBA among the 200 players with more than 150 three-point attempts during the season.

He shot 40% from deep in the 2024-25 season in 33 games, but he was taking less than two per game, which isn't a large enough sample to determine if that's something to build off of.

Still, Williams' lightning-quick speed gets him to the rim in a hurry, and the Warriors needed more players who could attack off the dribble with consistency.

The Warriors could also hope that Williams' 79.3% free-throw shooting in his time in Dallas could translate to him being a better three-point shooter.

Apr 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (10) makes a jump shot during the game between the Mavericks and the Magic at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Should Warriors Fans Get Their Hopes Up on Brandon Williams?

Brandon Williams was often the only punch of excitement for a non-existent Mavericks bench lineup last season, as his speed was genuinely fun to watch.

However, there are a lot of questions about his ability to help win games. He's not a good three-point shooter, as established, and his limited stature at 6'1" makes his defensive capabilities limited.

It was pretty telling that the Mavericks showed almost zero interest in wanting Williams back, even if it's an entirely new regime, led by team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz. It also would've been hard to carve out another roster spot after agreeing to a buyout with Klay Thompson before the weekend.

The Warriors needed someone like this on the roster, though. They didn't have any true point guard depth behind Stephen Curry, often relying on Brandin Podziemski to lead the second unit last year.

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