Boston Celtics restricted free agent facing ‘tight’ market after Day 1 of free agency

Restricted Boston Celtics free agent Grant Williams is facing a “tight market” for his services after the first day of NBA free agency — this, at least, according to Boston.com’s Tom Westerholm, who acknowledged as much after two of the only teams with cap space this offseason spent big at the onset of the free agency period.

“Williams, meanwhile, might be in a difficult spot,” Westerholm prefaced before saying, “No team was likely to tie up their cap space on an offer sheet to a restricted free agent this early, and he now might face a tight market. Two potential suitors may have taken themselves out of the running, as the Pacers signed former Nuggets guard Bruce Brown and the Rockets gave former Raptors guard Fred Van Vleet a max contract.”

The Pacers, by way of signing Bruce Brown to a $45 million deal over two years, now has less than the mid-level exception to spend on remaining free agents. The Rockets, on the other hand, still have the means to pay Williams up to $80-100 million over four years.

Grant Williams could return to the Boston Celtics if his market ‘dries up’

While Williams’ Boston Celtics departure was something many fans likely prepared for — particularly after the team acquired Kristaps Porzingis to play the 4 and the 5 –, it now appears as though there’s a good chance that No. 12 will keep his TD Garden locker in the home locker room. Per The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Williams will more than likely end up back in Boston if his market dries up.

This wouldn’t be a bad thing. Williams is a versatile piece who could play some minutes at the 3 in bigger lineups and could also help the team maintain a small-ball identity for extended minutes depending on the matchup. Williams’ friendship with Jayson Tatum is well-known, and his character has never been called into question; in fact, it’s quite the opposite, with Williams having been named a finalist for the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award.

If Williams is coming back, Boston will have, at worst, a trade chip moving forward. At best, the team is bringing back a key locker room glue guy, something important in the post-Marcus Smart era of Celtics basketball.