Might the Dallas Mavs and Boston Celtics swap Grant Williams for the No. 10 pick of the 2023 draft?

A sign and trade might be just what both teams are after, but it won’t happen before the draft from the sound of things.

Could the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics sign and trade Grant Williams for the No. 10 pick of the 2023 NBA draft?

The Celtics have been fielding such calls at a higher-than-expected rate with the former Tennessee player’s value as a restricted free agent in demand.

Boston can’t afford to lose his depth in the frontcourt without finding a way to rebalance the roster at the same time it needs to take care of their cap situation under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Recent reporting from The Athletic’s Tim Cato related the Mavs have been one of the teams looking into a sign-and-trade deal for the Charlotte native.

“Dallas isn’t interested in using its pick to acquire him,” noted Cato, but “there may be other ways to complete that deal with Boston’s help if Dallas decides to seriously pursue it.”

However, Cato suggests “it makes a big difference for Dallas’ summer plans if a deal involving a free agent, like this one would be, is agreed to on draft night involving the No. 10 pick or completed another way after the fact.”

It’s possible the players already on Dallas’ roster Boston might want back in a sign-and-trade would make bringing on Williams moot, but the ballast of the player’s salary at No. 10 plus other contracts could make such a deal CBA-legal without thinning the roster further.

There could also be additional compensation headed to Dallas, or a multi-team deal in their hoped-for plans, plans worth monitoring for fans of the Celtics given all of the chatter we have been hearing.

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