Snapshot
- Role: reserve PF/small-ball C; competes with Reid, Steinbach, O'Neale, Salaün, and the centers.
- 2025-26: 36 GP, 19.8 MPG; .426 FG · .815 FT · 1.4 3PM · 7.0 PTS · 3.9 REB · 1.6 AST · 0.5 STL · 0.5 BLK · 0.9 TO.
- Contract: final guaranteed season; unrestricted free agent in 2027.
- Prior value: roughly No. 288 per game in standard nine-category leagues.
2026-27 projection
| GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 12.0 | .430 | .805 | 0.9 | 5.0 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
Nine-category and points: outside the top 220 on the current roster. Dynasty: outside the top 250. A trade to a 22-minute role could restore top-170-to-200 fringe value.
Health and range
Williams tore his right ACL, meniscus, and associated ligaments in November 2024. He returned January 10, 2026 after roughly 14 months, then had six knee-management absences. There is no current setback, but rest risk is rational after the reconstruction.
- Ceiling: traded or frontcourt injuries create 22-26 minutes; 8-10 PTS, 1.5-2 threes, 4-5 REB, two assists and about one stock.
- Median: spot minutes and matchup DNPs.
- Floor: waived or rerouted during the roster cutdown; no Charlotte role.
Sources
- Hornets ACL injury update — 2024-11.
- Hornets return recap — 2026-01-11.
- Hornets 2025-26 game notes — 2026-04-13; exact line and knee-management absences.
- Basketball-Reference Hornets contracts — accessed 2026-07-18.
- Charlotte Observer roster forecast — 2026 offseason; trade/roster uncertainty.
- Hashtag Basketball dynasty rankings — updated 2026-07-02; No. 308.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Three seasons at Tennessee — 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds on .504 FG as a freshman, 15.2 and 6.0 as a sophomore (.473 FG but only .120 from three on low volume), then 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists on .564/.326/.819 as a junior in 37 starts. Back-to-back SEC Player of the Year in 2017-18 and 2018-19, the first to repeat since Corliss Williamson in 1995. Draft: 2019, first round, No. 22 by Boston.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 21 | BOS | 69 | 15.1 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | .412 | .722 | 0.7 |
| 2020-21 | 22 | BOS | 63 | 18.1 | 4.7 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 | .437 | .588 | 0.9 |
| 2021-22 | 23 | BOS | 77 | 24.4 | 7.8 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | .475 | .905 | 0.8 |
| 2022-23 | 24 | BOS | 79 | 25.9 | 8.1 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.5 | .454 | .770 | 1.0 |
| 2023-24 | 25 | DAL | 47 | 26.4 | 8.1 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.7 | .413 | .745 | 1.1 |
| 2023-24 | 25 | CHA | 29 | 30.6 | 13.9 | 5.1 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.6 | .503 | .765 | 1.9 |
| 2024-25 | 26 | CHA | 16 | 29.9 | 10.4 | 5.1 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.7 | .439 | .838 | 1.8 |
| 2025-26 | 27 | CHA | 36 | 19.8 | 7.0 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.4 | .426 | .815 | 0.9 |
| Career | 416 | 22.6 | 7.2 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | .450 | .778 | 1.0 |
Durability: Durable through Boston (69, 63, 77, 79 games), then two truncated years. The 2023-24 total of 76 games spans the September 2023 sign-and-trade to Dallas and the February 2024 trade to Charlotte. 2024-25 ended at 16 games with the November 23, 2024 torn ACL, meniscus, and additional ligaments in the right knee, suffered against Milwaukee. He returned January 10, 2026 — roughly 14 months — and played 36 of a possible 40 the rest of the way, with six knee-management absences.
Trajectory: The 29-game Charlotte stretch after the 2024 trade is the outlier and the argument for him: 13.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists on .503 shooting in 30 minutes, the only time he has been given a real offensive role. Everything before and after is a low-usage floor-spacing four whose value is entirely minutes-dependent, and the post-ACL 2025-26 line at 19.8 minutes is closer to the Boston version than the Charlotte one. He is on an expiring deal behind Naz Reid, Royce O'Neale, Tidjane Salaün, and the incoming bigs. Fantasy relevance requires a trade to a team that needs a stretch four, or a Charlotte frontcourt injury that pushes him back toward 25 minutes — at which point the 2024 usage suggests roughly 9-10 points, two threes, five rebounds and two assists.
Career sources: ESPN — Grant Williams career stats · Wikipedia — Grant Williams (basketball) · Hornets ACL injury update
Open questions
- Is Williams one of the three standard-contract exits required before opening night?
- Will Charlotte manage his knee on back-to-backs again?