What Grant Williams’ rumored raise could mean for Boston Celtics future
Grant Williams’ rumored contract extension with the Boston Celtics could mean great things for the 23-year-old beyond the 10s of millions of dollars he’s about to make — it could also signify immense trust in the stretch forward’s ability to be a key contributor in the long-term.
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto relayed that Williams is ‘probably in the $12-14 million territory’ but thinks ‘$15 million is not out of the question, but definitely on the high end, and it means they’d think he’s going to be a starter.’
Interestingly enough, Larry Nance Jr.’s 2-year, $21.5 million extension doesn’t figure to propel him into the New Orleans Pelicans starting lineup, but Nance is a solid hedge to have on hand for Zion Williamson’s injury history. The two put up similar numbers, but Williams has several key playoff performances under his belt that help his stance at the negotiation table.
Nance’s extension was the impetus for Scotto discussing the possible figures that could be involved in Williams’ Boston Celtics extension with several league executives who remained anonymous.
When Grant Williams is expected to be a starter for the Boston Celtics
There are several existing scenarios that figure to potentially open the door for Grant Williams becoming a starter for the Boston Celtics sometime within the next several seasons.
One would be the team’s starting power forward, Al Horford, retiring after the 2022-23 campaign. Heavy’s Sean Deveney implied that was a possibility, and Horford’s willingness to play back-to-backs this season indicates he may be gearing up for one last great run at the age of 36.
The other would be Robert Williams being phased out of the starting lineup and the team embracing a more spaced out offense. Given the seemingly never-ending stream of injuries the big man suffers on a regular basis, it could be in interim head coach Joe Mazzulla’s best interest to establish a starting five without him included and deploy him more situationally to preserve his body for the postseason.
The latter option isn’t terribly likely considering the C’s starting lineup was 12 points/100 possessions better than the second-best team–and the best defensive rating, while also ranking third in offensive rating in 2021-22 per NBC Sports Boston’s Max Lederman. Either way, expect Williams to find his way into the starting five as his play improves and his pay skyrockets in the next few weeks or next summer.