Newly-signed Mavericks wing excited for rivalry with Suns and Devin Booker

Noah Weber

Boston Celtics v Phoenix Suns / Christian Petersen/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks needed a defensive enforcer after last season.

Everyone knew that.

The Mavs' defense plummeted after a successful 2021-22 season, which included the Mavs making a Western Conference Finals run, and they had to improve it this offseason through the draft and free agency.

The Mavs couldn't rely on Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to outscore everyone again, and they needed to buckle down defensively.

They did so by drafting Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, and they also made a massive three-team sign and trade with the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs.

The Mavs sent off a first-round pick swap and Reggie Bullock and received two second-round picks and forward Grant Williams. Dallas signed Williams to a four-year, $53 million deal and finally landed their guy.

There were rumors that Dallas was interested in Williams earlier in the offseason, and they decided to make a trade for him rather than testing their luck in restricted free agency.

Williams is going to be a massive help for Dallas on both ends of the floor and seems quite excited to get on the floor for the Mavs. He has already spoken on the "beef" between the Mavs and Suns before, and his most recent comments show that he may have Dallas' December 25 matchup with the Suns circled on his calendar.

When asked by a member of the Mavericks media team where his favorite road city to play in is, Williams said that it was previously Dallas, but "now it's probably going to be Phoenix." Here's why.

"I just enjoy Phoenix as a city, and it's going to be fun having that rivalry with Book (Devin Booker) and Luka (Doncic) and being a part of it."
Grant Williams

The rivalry between the Mavericks and Suns, and individually between Luka and Booker, is always fun to watch, and Williams seems ready to get in on the action. Mavs-Suns games always seem to come down to the wire, with their last matchup ending with Luka and Booker going nose-to-nose after Doncic missed a game-tying bunny at the rim.

Williams knows that these two teams don't like each other, and fans should be excited to see this budding rivalry continue into the future.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding Grant Williams and the Dallas Mavericks this season, so stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.