The Golden State Warriors’ silent offseason has been disrupted, but the disruption did not come from a marquee name. Guard Brandon Williams is the one shaking things up in the Bay Area.

In a post on X, ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote, “Free agent guard Brandon Williams has agreed to a one-year, $2.6 million deal to sign with the Golden State Warriors, agents Derek Lafayette and Curtis Lawrence tell ESPN. Williams averaged 13 points, 3.9 assists and 22.2 minutes per night across 66 games for Dallas last season.”

This trade is unique since it represents the Warriors’ only acquisition from the free agent pool for all of the offseason. Williams adds some genuine downhill explosiveness to a team lacking in rim-pressure production, finishing 12th in the league with 7.5 free throws drawn per 36 minutes played.

This move comes after a long offseason filled with much larger missed moves. Draymond Green opted out of his player option early into free agency to make room for potential star signings, with both Draymond and Stephen Curry attempting to lure LeBron James to the Warriors before he decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Williams is far from a polished prospect, who still has several issues that he needs to address to become a reliable rotation player. Williams was an abysmal 23.2 percent shooter from deep last year, making him the league’s worst shooter from three-point range for players who attempted over 150 shots.

What Dub Nation Is Saying About the Signing

The internet’s response to this news was quick as soon as Charania posted this, and fans were equally amused by the size of the contract and excited about Williams signing for the team

“Warriors finally signed someone new,” said a fan.

This is because Golden State had done nothing except maintain their core throughout the season, while even the draft selection of forward Yaxel Lendeborg was an 11th pick rather than an outside acquisition. Williams would become the first outside free agent signing for Golden State for the whole summer.

Another said, “Went from trying to get LeBron to this.”

The Warriors really tried to form a partnership between LeBron James and Curry, going as far as having Warriors forward Draymond Green forgo his player option to create room. LeBron chose to join the Philadelphia 76ers instead.

“They’re allowed to do that? Sign a guy who wasn’t on the team last year?” read another reaction.

Williams became an unrestricted free agent after his Mavericks contract expired, which means he can now sign with any team, just as the NBA free agency system operates each year.

A user commented, “Brandon Williams is a great pickup for the Warriors. He’ll juice the second unit with his speed. Teams who needed another PG missed out there.”

This makes sense with the interest shown by other teams‌. It was highlighted that both the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics had interest in getting some depth in the backcourt, and this move from Golden State effectively shut the door for others.

“STEPH, YOUR HELP HAS ARRIVED,” was another reaction.

This reaction might be a bit exaggerated, but the reasoning works just fine. The past injury problems of Curry have definitely restrained him in some recent seasons, and Williams is giving a handler to the second unit that does not need to rely entirely on Brandin Podziemski of the Warriors.

All in all, this move addressed the desire of fans who were desperate for some kind of action in the off-season following an uneventful summer, especially since the signing was done on a minimum salary contract.