Two years ago, the Dallas Mavericks made Grant Williams the kind of move that was supposed to steady a roster built for a deep playoff run. They brought him in on a sign-and-trade deal, expected him to fill the power forward void and leaned on the idea that his toughness and 3-point shooting would matter when it counted.
It did, at least at first. Williams opened his first game with Dallas with 17 points and 50 percent shooting from long range, a start that seemed to confirm the Mavericks had found the right piece. But after a couple of games, he struggled to find a consistent rhythm, and Dallas eventually moved on, trading him to the Hornets for P.J. Washington.
That swap has aged in opposite directions. Washington helped Dallas advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011, giving the Mavericks the payoff they hoped a year earlier would come from Williams. The difference matters because it turns the original deal into more than a roster shuffle — it is now a clean example of how quickly a front-office bet can change once the games start.
Williams came to Dallas with real credibility. He had been a major contributor for the Boston Celtics during their Eastern Conference Finals runs, which made the fit look sensible on paper. Charlotte has not offered the same return. Since the trade, Williams has struggled to meet expectations with the Hornets and has deeply regressed, especially this season.
The result is a rare NBA transaction that has moved from promising to productive to disappointing in a short span. Dallas found the player it wanted in Washington. Williams, meanwhile, has yet to show that the version of him the Mavericks thought they were getting still exists.