SAN FRANCISCO — Former Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams signed a one-year, $2.6 million minimum contract with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
With limited guard depth behind Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski, Williams is poised to lead Golden State’s bench unit after a career year in Dallas.
Brandon Williams And The Dallas Mavericks
Appearing in 66 games for the Mavericks in 2025-26, Williams averaged a career-high 13 points per game while adding 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He shot 47.2% from the field and 79.3% from the free-throw line, but only 23.2% from 3-point range.
A blur in transition and creative ballhandler, Williams is a force going downhill and can create space for himself with ease. Those qualities earned him some quality playing time in Dallas, but his lack of a reliable outside jumper limited his effectiveness.
Defenses were apt to sag off Williams, allowing him to step into jumpers rather than make his way to the rim. That said, Williams was an efficient mid-range scorer, shooting 47.4% from 10-14 feet from the basket. From 15-19 feet, he was even better, shooting 57.1%.
Between his free-throw and mid-range splits, Williams has flashed the touch to be a more effective shooter. The Warriors will hope that he can get back to his 2024-25 self, where he shot a career-high 40% from downtown, albeit in just 33 games for the Mavericks.
Williams played his first season with Dallas in 2023-24 after signing a two-way deal with the team in December of 2023. He played in just 17 games, averaging 3.2 points and 1 assist with limited opportunity.
Still, the Mavericks saw enough to extend Williams another two-way contract ahead of 2024-25, where his 8.3 points and 2.3 assists earned him a standard contract ahead of last season.
Brandon Williams’ Pre-Dallas Career
After one season at the University of Arizona, Williams began his NBA career on a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers in December of the 2021-22 season.
Portland gave Williams the longest leash of his short career, during which he averaged a career-high 26.7 minutes per contest. In that time, Williams tallied averages of 12.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists, shooting 37.2% from the field and 29.2% from three.
His play landed him a two-way contract to finish the season with the Trail Blazers, but he was waived ahead of the 2022-23 season. Williams played that year in the G League before returning to the NBA on an Exhibit 10 contract with the Orlando Magic in the 2023 offseason.
Unfortunately for Williams, he wouldn’t make it to the start of the regular season and was waived. That December, however, he signed with Dallas.
Now, Williams is embracing the opportunity to back up Curry, one of the greatest guards in the history of the sport. With Podziemski expected to get the starting nod next season, Williams and De’Anthony Melton will be Golden State’s primary ball handlers off the bench.
