Boston Celtics: Proposal would land 3x NBA All-Defensive center on Cs
The Miami Heat were just the third team in the 2022-23 NBA season to defeat the Boston Celtics, knocking off the Cs 120-116 at the T.D. Garden on Friday, December 2 in a game that went to overtime — the third such loss of Boston’s five during the current campaign.
Since that happened, there’s been rumors linking Grant Williams — who went unsigned before the rookie-scale extension deadline this past October and will be a restricted free agent next offseason — to Miami.
Because of this chatter, Heavy’s Adam Taylor proposed a four-player deal between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics that would send Williams, as well as two of the top six players in the rotation, to South Beach for a 3x reigning NBA All-Defensive center:
"“Robert Williams, while dominant, struggles to remain healthy for long stretches, while the recently extended Al Horford will eventually need to slide into a bench role to be at his best. Furthermore, there is still a question mark hanging over Grant Williams’ head after the Celtics disagreed on the terms of a contract extension this past summer.”“As such, finding a reliable, talented big man should be high on Brad Stevens’ list of priorities. That’s where the Miami Heat could become a viable trade partner with the Celtics.”Celtics Receive: Bam AdebayoHeat Receive: Derrick White, Robert Williams, Grant Williams"
Why the Boston Celtics do it
As Heavy’s Adam Taylor points out, Robert Williams III is perennially injured. His absence from the Boston Celtics lineup could one day be their undoing, especially if they met a team in the postseason that can attack the rim and knock down 3-pointers off switches on the pick-and-roll and he’s not there.
Finding a deal for ‘The Timelord’ and Grant Williams, whose price tag could get uncomfortably high next offseason if a team wants him bad enough. Derrick White has been a valuable starting lineup stand-in, but Malcolm Brogdon and Payton Pritchard could both make him somewhat expendable.
Landing a future multi-time All-Star center that can buoy the defense and create his own offense would be a major boon for Boston. Unfortunately…
Why the Miami Heat don’t do it
…it’s too good to be true.
Miami shipping off Bam Adebayo would take a treasure trove of draft picks, but the chances of Pat Riley dangling his No. 2 option in a deal that doesn’t make them better in the interim or in the long-term are nearly nonexistent.