PistonPowered’s Aaron Kellerstrass has many doubts about a possible Pistons trade for Grant Williams, but he did suggest a possible third big man for the Boston Celtics rotation that’d make the idea of such a deal worthy of consideration.
Kellerstrass threw out the name of Detroit’s starting center Isaiah Stewart, a third year big man who’s averaging two rebounds shy of a triple-double in under 30 minutes of playing time during the 2022-23 season.
Stewart’s tweener big status and the presence of 2022 lottery pick Jalen Duren behind him on the depth chart creates a perfect storm for there to be a potential fit — though Kellerstrass ultimately feels the Pistons should wait for restricted free agency this summer to fully launch a Williams pursuit:
"“If the Pistons could land Grant Williams in a trade that didn’t cost them Bey, it might be worth considering, but he’s really the only player the Pistons have that meets the description unless they wanted to move Isaiah Stewart.”“Stewart is a fan favorite and has shown signs of improvement this season, but he’s ultimately a tweener who can’t really play center full time and hasn’t shown enough shooting to be a true stretch four. Williams has, so swapping him for Stewart might be the move, as it would not only upgrade the Pistons’ perimeter defense but add some more shooting.”"
Conditions that would make the Boston Celtics consider a Grant Williams trade
Until this week, the idea of trading Grant Williams wasn’t something that was really on the table. Unfortunately a bad stretch for the fourth-year forward — he scored double-digits just once in the last seven games and shot over 40% from the field just twice in that period — and the possibility he will ask for the Brink’s truck to be backed up have made him a surprising trade deadline target for other teams.
That last point is key: if and only if Williams wants a contract Boston can’t afford will the team consider moving him. Williams makes any offer stronger for teams willing to have him on a rental basis, but he was a key figure in the C’s 2022 postseason run.
There’s a lot to consider for a contender when mulling moving a rotation player. The price for Williams needs to move the needle for the Cs now, and the front office needs to know that he’ll eventually be out of their price range to know trading him is the right decision.