Recently traded former Boston Celtics role player chose to wear Jayson Tatum’s shoes over those of his star teammate.

October 24, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams (12) covers forward Jayson / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports Grant Williams was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Charlotte Hornets on February 8, the second time in seven months. Williams chose to wear the shoes of his former Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum over those of the standout Slovenian.

This was one of the numerous reasons Williams left Dallas, according to NBA Insider Tim MacMahon.

“The fact they gave up a 2030 swap for Grant Williams and then dumped him as soon as they possibly could, which they were determined to dump him,” MacMahon stated (thanks to RealGM). Not content with merely obtaining P.J. Washington, they desired to

Stay out of Grant Williams’ affairs. He made a lot of people uncomfortable.

“He changed from.

He changed his shoe choice from Lukas to Tatums, incidentally.”

DallasBasketball.com’s Mike Fisher and Grant Afseth reported that Grant Williams didn’t fit in well with the Mavs’ locker room like he did with the Boston Celtics. As a result, the Mavs front office decided to trade Williams for PJ Washington in exchange for Seth Curry and draft capital.

Williams, who was acquired in the offseason in a three-team sign-and-trade that included a 2030 first-round pick swap, was said to have brought a loud and colorful personality with him that did not sit well in the locker room, according to a source who spoke with DallasBasketball.com.

Given the extremely poor conclusion to the 2022–23 regular season, in which the club appeared to give up and lost nine of their final 11 games to miss the NBA Play-In Tournament outright, Dallas was an unpredictable landing place for Williams. When you combine Luka’s jovial demeanor with Kyrie Irving’s dominant presence and his probably irritated demeanor toward the Mavs executive management, this arrangement could have been doomed from the start.

International PG and former Duke teammate Jayson Tatum are available for buyout by the Boston Celtics.
International PG and former Duke teammate Jayson Tatum are available for buyout by the Boston Celtics.

On February 8, the NBA trade deadline brought fireworks to the league. However, in the thick of all the big names switching teams, Harry Giles, a former teammate of Jayson Tatum at Duke, and Killian Hayes, a former lottery choice of the Detroit Pistons, emerged as possible candidates for a buyout by the Boston Celtics.

Due to the Tatum connection, Giles has long been associated with the Celtics; however, Boston may no longer require a big man, as Xavier Tillman was acquired by the team on February 7 from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Lamar Stevens and two future second-round picks. However, Tatum’s gain in confidence might be sufficient to convince Brad Stevens and company to consider adding such a depth player.

However, if Hayes is prepared to fall behind Payton Pritchard in the rotation for the backcourt, he might be a valuable dice throw. After struggling with the Detroit Pistons for three and a half seasons, Hayes could desire an opportunity to be a game-changer, but Boston has not shown interest in bringing one in at the deadline.

At the trade deadline, several former Boston Celtics change teams.
During the trade deadline, a number of former Celtics made roster changes that spanned multiple periods of the team’s recent past.

At the trade deadline, several former Boston Celtics change teams.
During the trade deadline, a number of former Celtics made roster changes that spanned multiple periods of the team’s recent past.