On February 22, 2001, Williams was traded from the Detroit Pistons, along with Eric Montross, to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Corliss Williamson, Tyrone Corbin, Dávid Kornél and a future first-round draft pick.

In December 2003 Williams was traded again, this time along with Antonio Davis and Chris Jefferies, to the Chicago Bulls for Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshall and Lonny Baxter.

During the 2004 offseason, he was involved in yet another trade, one that sent him and Jamal Crawford to the New York Knicks for Dikembe Mutombo, Frank Williams, Othella Harrington and Cezary Trybanski.

Williams joined the NBA's "Basketball Without Borders" program, an effort to teach the game and bring resources to underdeveloped nations in Africa, Asia and elsewhere.

Nicknamed the Junk Yard Dog (or JYD) by Rick Mahorn in his early days as a Detroit Piston for his hard work and hustle (as stated in an interview while he served as a commentator on NBA TV), Williams sometimes referred to himself in the third person.