Report: Grant Williams Wasn't in 'Good Shape' After Signing $54M Mavs Contract

The Dallas Mavericks reportedly did not believe forward Grant Williams' conditioning was where it should have been after they signed him to a four-year, $53.34 million contract during the offseason.

Speaking Wednesday on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective (beginning at the 30:05 mark), ESPN's Tim MacMahon offered some insight into why things may have soured so quickly between Williams and the Mavs:

"I would say one of the ways that Grant Williams rubbed people the wrong way, the yap, yap, yapping, obviously, that's kind of part of it with him. Which it's charmingly obnoxious if he's productive, and it's grating when he's not, but he didn't report in good shape, and Grant Williams not in good shape is not a good defender. Grant Williams has proven throughout the course of his career, when he gets in shape he can be an impactful defender, but that's not the guy that the Mavericks got."

Williams' tenure in Dallas came to an end after just 47 games, as the Mavericks traded him, guard Seth Curry and a 2027 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for forward P.J. Washington and two second-round picks last week.

The No. 22 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft spent his first four NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics as a role player and had his best statistical campaign last season when he averaged 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 three-pointers made per game.

He had very similar production during his Mavs stint, averaging 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 three-pointers made. His efficiency dipped, though, as he went from shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc last season to 41.8 percent and 37.8 percent this season.

The hope in Dallas was likely that Williams would be an important part of a championship roster as a supporting cast member alongside stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.

However, the Mavs perhaps haven't performed quite as well as they hoped overall, although they are very much in the playoff hunt with a 31-23 record that leaves them seventh in the Western Conference.

Washington, who was the 12th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, has been a solid addition for Dallas thus far, averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two games.

Meanwhile, Williams has been excellent in his two games for a rebuilding Hornets team, averaging 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

While things didn't work out for Williams in Dallas, and he is now forced to play out the season on a team without playoff aspirations, the change of scenery could potentially prove to be a good thing for his career moving forward.