Mavericks' Sergio De Larrea signing hints that beloved guard is on the way out

The Dallas Mavericks announced on Friday that they are signing No. 25 overall pick and guard Sergio De Larrea to a standard multi-year deal, and this move likely puts the nail in the coffin for fan-favorite guard Brandon Williams' departure from Dallas.

Despite struggling immensely from outside last season, Williams grew very popular amongst Mavericks fans over the past two and a half seasons through his flashy playstyle, as he's an extremely quick and crafty finisher. Fans coveted his work ethic and stick-to-itiveness, as he started on a two-way contract in Dallas, then eventually earned himself a standard deal and became a valuable part of Dallas' rotation.

Williams' ability to get to the rim even drew comparisons to Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving, and it's clear Irving's tutelage helped Williams' ball handling and his ability to get to his spots in the mid-range and at the rim.

De Larrea signing hints at Williams leaving in free agency

With Williams being an unrestricted free agent, De Larrea officially coming over to the U.S. to play for the Mavericks looks to be the move that makes Dallas retaining Williams illogical, as there was still a little hope for Williams to stay in Dallas following Dallas' selection of De Larrea, since it was unknown whether he would come to the United States or stay in Spain with Valencia.

However, this isn't the only reason it's seeming highly unlikely he comes back, as Dallas is reportedly trading for Detroit Pistons guard and Dallas native Marcus Sasser in a deal that will officially be announced later. They also picked up their team option on second-year guard Ryan Nembhard.

There's no doubt Dallas could still use a guard via trade or with their remaining money in free agency at this point, but Williams doesn't look like he'll be the answer. Dallas desperately still needs to add shooting, and this has been the biggest weak point in his four-year NBA career so far, especially after shooting a career-low 23.2 percent from outside last season.

There's obviously still a shot that Dallas could bring back Williams, mainly because De Larrea is an unproven rookie at the end of the day, whilst Williams proved to be an effective two-level scorer and decent playmaker last season with averages of 13 points and 3.9 assists per game in 66 games.

Williams will be missed, but he proved himself in Dallas

However, B-Will fans shouldn't be holding out hope for this possibility, as Williams played himself out of minimum territory last season, and Dallas would have to dip into part of their Mid-Level or Bi-Annual Exception to re-sign him, which seems unlikely if they still want to target someone else in free agency.

There's no doubt Williams will be missed by Mavericks fans if he leaves, as he competed relentlessly on both ends despite being only 6-foot-1 and proved he's a player who is worth a rotation spot in the NBA during his time in Dallas, even if his lack of shooting may prevent him from fitting with the Mavericks any longer.

Of course, if this is somehow disproved and he remains a Maverick, then it will be a great surprise, and B-Will fans in Dallas can rejoice, but it seems overwhelmingly likely he'll find his next NBA home soon. If nothing else, Williams will always be remembered by die-hard Mavericks fans for how hard he played, as well as the spark plug he was during a tough era in Mavericks history right after the Luka Doncic trade.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow