Do the Warriors have Brandon Williams in their back pocket?

[commentary + cap sheet analysis]

There may very well be a “transaction after the transaction” waiting in the wings as LeBron James mulls his decision. We’ve already discussed how likely it is that the Warriors would have to get off of Moses Moody’s contract should the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level be utilized — and, no, the contract of Brandin Podziemski is not enough, based on cap sheet calculations and the requirement to stay under the first apron in doing so.

But there may be one more.

Nothing really slips past our Discord Knowledge-Base and back on June 28th, a little over two weeks ago, the great Michael Scotto of HoopsHype — in the midst of a bevy of other big names mentioned right before the official start of free agency — reported that Golden State were among several teams showing interest in Brandon Williams:

While in Portland, new Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz joined the Trail Blazers as an assistant general manager months after the team gave current Mavericks guard Brandon Williams his first opportunity to be an NBA player during the 2021-22 season. Four years later, Schmitz is beginning his tenure as Mavericks general manager, and Williams is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 13.0 points and 3.9 assists in 66 games, including 15 starts, for Dallas last season.

Several teams are expected to show interest in signing Williams as an unrestricted free agent, including the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and the Mavericks, who want to retain him, league sources told HoopsHype. Dallas has Early Bird Rights on Williams entering free agency this summer.

Incidentally, by now, two weeks later, I think we can rule out a return to Dallas. One quick look at Yossi Gozlan’s CapSheets.com shows the rebuilding Mavs with 15 guaranteed contracts already, many of them young guys, all underneath the names of four familiar long-time vets.

So why do I think Dallas may already be out of the running—and why could Williams be connected to Golden State’s much larger LeBron, Melton and Moses Moody decisions? That is where the cap sheet, one longstanding personal connection and the Warriors’ possible next transaction begin to intersect.