JULY 21ST: Williams and the Hornets have made the deal official, the team announced via press release.
“He will be a key piece of our frontcourt rotation with his versatility and ability to play both forward positions,” Hornets GM Rich Cho said.
JULY 12TH: Marvin Williams has agreed to a two-year, $14MM deal with the Hornets, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The team had shown steady interest in the forward throughout free agency, but negotiations were paused while the team awaited Utah’s decision to match their offer for restricted free agent Gordon Hayward. The contract doesn’t represent a raise from Williams’ five-year, $37.5MM deal that just expired in Utah, but he did fair better than the $3MM-$6MM range we gauged from similar players in our Free Agent Stock Watch profile of Williams.
Williams had drawn interest from several teams, and the Jazz were reportedly looking to bring him back to Utah. The Jazz valued the 28-year-old enough to reject a trade that offered a first round pick in exchange for the veteran this past season. The veteran will land with his third NBA team in his tenth season, replacing Charlotte’s starting power forward Josh McRoberts, who left for Miami as a free agent.
The Tandem Sports & Entertainment client performed at or below his career averages in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals last season, but made a career-high 1.3 three-pointers per game at a 35.9% rate. The No. 2 pick from the 2005 draft hasn’t lived up to expectations since turning pro, but has established himself as a solid contributor across multiple categories. He will look to experience more team success with a Charlotte club that made the playoffs last season, something the Jazz haven’t accomplished since acquiring Williams from the Hawks in 2012.
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