Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams is entering the final year of his rookie contract. At the end of the 2022-23 NBA season will become a restricted free agent, meaning that he can sign with another team, but Boston will have to opportunity to match the offer. It doesn’t have to get to that stage though.
The Celtics have the option to extend their 23-year-old forward this summer. The team will have to reach an agreement with Williams by Oct. 17.
There are plenty of reasons to extend the Tennessee alumni. During his time with the Cs, he’s proven himself to be a valuable piece and an important part of the team’s success. Letting him test free agency could cost Boston in more ways than one.
Reason No. 1 the Boston Celtics should extend Grant Williams: No viable way to replace him in free agency
The first reason has everything to do with cost. By letting Grant test free agency, Boston runs the risk that some team that is looking to become relevant or make a splash (I don’t know, maybe the New York Knicks) comes in and makes a steep offer. If that’s the case and the Celtics decide to match, then they would’ve costed themselves extra money and more importantly would have less cap flexibility.
A prime example of why it’s a good financial decision to extend ahead of time is Robert Williams III. The Celtics extended Timelord for four years last summer. After a monster 2021-22 campaign where he earned Second Team All-Defensive honors, Williams’ contract is looking like it may be the most valuable in the league. He is set to make an average of just $12 million per season. Had the Cs waited until after this season to negotiate with Timelord, they’d likely be paying him at least double the salary.
Boston would get themselves a discount for sure if they extended Grant Williams this offseason. They could likely pay him a similar amount to his namesake and have both sides be satisfied.