Key rotation piece considered ‘long shot’ to stick with Boston Celtics
By Sam LaFrance
Less than a day after the Boston Celtics landed Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team trade, the news is beginning to trickle out regarding how the dominoes may fall in the deal’s aftermath.
One of those dominoes wears No. 12 for the Celtics.
Grant Williams is nearing restricted free agency and has reportedly been garnering interest from “over a half dozen teams,” according to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.
Luckily for Boston, they’ll have the chance to match any offer Williams receives from another franchise. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be back in green next year. The C’s could use the option to match to give themselves leverage for a sign-and-trade with whichever team wants to land Williams.
According to MassLive’s Brian Robb, it’s a “long shot” that the four-year veteran will be returning for another contract with Boston.
“Boston has the ability to address that depth issue if they bring back Grant Williams but that seems to be a long shot at this point barring another big move, per sources,” Robb reported. “The money and likely role for him is not there with Porzingis signed at $36 million. Instead, look for the Celtics to try to swing a sign-and-trade with him per sources and instead add another player for guard/wing depth or grab a future draft asset or traded player exception.”
In the weeks leading up to Thursday’s NBA Draft, which could serve as a springboard for many moves around the league, rumors have swirled regarding the future of Williams with the Celtics. There have reportedly been three teams who are prominently interested in the former Tennessee standout.
Let’s take a look at what the C’s may be able to get back in deals with each of them.
Boston Celtics send Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks
Just yesterday, The Athletic’s Tim Cato reported that Boston had discussed a potential sign-and-trade for Williams with the Dallas Mavericks.
“For example: one league source, granted anonymity since he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, told me Dallas has spoken with the Boston Celtics about a Grant Williams sign-and-trade,” Cato wrote. “Dallas isn’t interested in using its pick to acquire him, and the team might decide against an offer — something more than the mid-level exception — that would be large enough that Boston wouldn’t match. But Williams makes plenty of sense in Dallas, and there may be other ways to complete that deal with Boston’s help if Dallas decides to seriously pursue it.”
Heading into the Draft, the Mavericks have just eight players under contract for next season. Of that group, just two — Tim Hardaway Jr. and Davis Bertans — make a similar salary to what Williams could command this summer (around $17 million).
Bertans is widely viewed as a negative asset, so let’s skip him.
This trade could certainly have more avenues. Dallas’ interest levels will heavily impact how much Boston can garner for Williams here.
However, Hardaway Jr. is a solid star. He’s a guy who can give the Celtics a scoring punch off the bench from the wing position. In years past, they’ve significantly missed wing depth behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Perhaps Williams is enough for the Mavericks to consider trading down in the draft? They’ve long been rumored to be looking at trades involving their No. 10 selection.
This scenario would be a great way for Boston to bring in young talent that may be ready to help the team compete right away. Plus, because the hypothetical player would be acquired through the draft, the C’s would fill the spot with a rookie-scale contract.
Boston Celtics trade Grant Williams to the Indiana Pacers
Another rumored suitor for Williams has been the Indiana Pacers. Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer listed them as a threat to lure the 24-year-old from Boston, just last week.
“The Pacers are expected to be one team in the mix for restricted free agent Grant Williams as well,” Fischer wrote.
Indiana would have a bit more leverage in negotiations than Dallas. Per Spotrac, they are projected to have over $27 million in cap space in the offseason, meaning that they wouldn’t even really need the Celtics to help them sign Williams. They could quite simply just outprice Boston.
However, in the situation where they want to aim at a bargain deal, the C’s would likely match, meaning that the Pacers would need some assistance.
One player to keep an eye on is Buddy Hield, who is set to make $18 million in the final season of a four-year, $94 million contract.
This swap is a simple one, but it makes sense for both sides. Of course, the Pacers have their sights on Boston’s No.12, so it appeases that.
Plus, the Celtics would get to add even more shooting to a 3-point-heavy offense. Last season he appeared in 80 games for Indiana, averaging 16.8 points each time. The real prize is his ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc. The 30-year-old buried 42.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc in 2022-23. It wasn’t a fluke either, as he averages 40.2% for his career.
Boston Celtics send Grant Williams to the Orlando Magic
The final team that’s been linked to Williams is the Orlando Magic. A few weeks back an anonymous league executive told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney that the forward would be a “perfect fit” on the Magic.
“He is 24, he has proven his chops, on both ends,” a Western Conference executive told Deveney. “You can’t coach that kind of experience. He’s got it. He is a perfect fit there. You want to become a playoff team, he is the kind of guy they’d want. But Orlando would have to overpay to get him and it is tough to expect a team to do that. Obviously, if you are Williams, you want to see the Magic being aggressive on the market.”
Much like Indiana, Orlando will have money to throw at Williams this summer, giving the Celtics less say in a potential sign-and-trade.
A name that jumps out when looking at the cap sheet is Magic guard Gary Harris.
Harris had an efficient campaign in limited appearances for the Magic last season. He was good for 8.3 points per game while knocking down 45.0% of his attempts from the field, and 43.1% of those from beyond the arc.
His fit in the Celtics’ high-powered offense would be similar to Hield’s. He’d be another reliable option to serve as a floor-spacer for Brown and Tatum.