It’s the summer of Grant!

The NBA Playoffs were not nearly as kind to Grant Williams in 2023 as 2022. However, the summer has been his oyster, specifically this month. He spent Independence Day weekend at the event of the summer — Michael Rubin’s White Party. A couple of days after mingling with A-Listers, the Boston Celtics sent the free agent to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade deal.

Williams didn’t receive a three-month severance package from the New York Yankees for a job that he was never good at, Instead, he signed a 4-year, $53 million contract with the Mavericks who clearly believe in his capabilities on the court. The Mavericks also extended Matisse Thybulle a 3-year, $33 million offer sheet that the Portland Trail Blazers matched. At least Mark Cuban knows that his defense needs reinforcements. In 2022, the Mavericks made the Western Conference Finals. In 2023, they lost so many games, including after trading for Kyrie Irving at the deadline, that they failed to qualify for the Play-In Tournament.

A defensive improvement is necessary, and Williams will be more than happy to provide some assistance. This late first-round 2019 NBA Draft pick who led Tennesee to a No. 2 seed in the 2018 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament, has signed that desired big second NBA contract. He also signed it with a promising NBA team.

Prior to that news becoming public, Williams was rubbing elbows with the stars. Guests at Rubin’s all-white party in the Hamptons included Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kevin Hart, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian, Kevin Durant, and many more.

No frolf (frisbee golf) or helping his best friend be a responsible partner for Williams, this summer of Grant is all about opulence. The garrulous Williams might soon show up beside Boban Marjanović in State Farm commercials. Marjanović’s dry humor that only needs a few words to be revealed, could be turned into an Abbott and Costello routine with Willams.

While Willams running his mouth on the court doesn’t mean that he is a funny person, it does give advertisers a distinct trait to mold into their ideal spokesperson. Was it the innate humor of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird innate that powered those McDonald’s commercials, or are those commercials classics due to the work of writers being able to maximize their natural charisma?

Williams’ was never going to be silenced. Surely he is happy being sent to a team that will be in the spotlight for the entirety of the 2023-24 season. The Celtics may be an original NBA franchise that is tied for the most championships in league history, but the Mavericks have two players in Irving and Luka Dončić who are worldwide superstars. Williams now has the opportunity to both improve the team’s deficiencies, and also display his personality on a team that will always have eyeballs on it.

Maybe he got to know Beyoncé and her husband at the party. Maybe he drank blood from the illuminati blood chalice to prove his loyalty to the institution. I still rent and have a car note, so I am in too much debt to know what goes on at a party thrown by the CEO of Fanatics.

What I do know is that Williams was virally in that world for a day and is now making an eight-figure salary. Yes, he averaged 10 minutes less in the playoffs per game than he did in 2022, but he is also hobnobbing with some of the most recognizable faces in the world.

Now all that Williams needs to complete Summer 2023 is to learn to play frolf and not slip on glossy invitations.