Grant Williams Jokes Jayson Tatum Will 'Cry' to Refs When Celtics Play Mavs Next Year

The playful banter between former teammates Jayson Tatum and Grant Williams is picking up.

Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe detailed an interaction Williams shared with him that the two teammates had in Las Vegas two days after Williams was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

While the two were out to dinner together, they engaged in some light trash talk for when the two take the court as opponents next season for the first time in their professional careers.

"I'm gonna bust your [butt] when we play Dallas," Tatum told Williams. "You think?" Williams said. "You can't go left. And I'm gonna be physical with you, and you'll go cry to the referees."

Williams and Tatum had been teammates since 2019, when the Boston Celtics drafted Williams with the 22nd overall pick. He joined Tatum, the franchise's cornerstone and No. 3 pick in 2017, and the two developed a "brotherly relationship built on sarcasm and playful ribbing," according to Himmelsbach.

Williams averaged 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 79 games for the Celtics in 2022-23, making a career-high 23 starts. He helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat in seven games.

The Celtics made the playoffs in all four seasons he played with the club, reaching the conference finals three times and the NBA Finals in 2022. The Celtics received multiple second-round picks in the sign-and-trade agreement, and Williams signed a four-year, $54 million deal with the Mavericks.