Last week’s flurry of trade deadline moves officially put the Boston Celtics below the NBA’s luxury tax line. Having been a franchise hindered by the financial penalties that accompany spending big, the Cs will certainly enjoy the flexibility that their decreased payroll will give them in the upcoming league year.
It’s a bit early to be thinking about future moves, seeing how there are still two months plus playoffs left this year, but, among other things, Boston will have the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception to play with this summer.
As of now, the obvious pathway to using that would be to bring back newly acquired big man Nikola Vucevic on a team-friendly deal. The non-taxpayer MLE makes a lot of sense for the 35-year-old considering where he’s at in his career.
In the case that things don’t work out that way, however, a reunion with Robert Williams III would make some sense for Boston.
First and foremost, his significant injury history shouldn’t be ignored. There’s a real possibility that he’d miss time if they were to bring him back. With that being said, he’s shown this season that he’s got plenty left in the tank.
Williams still plays with a unique athleticism, blocks shots, and provides serious vertical spacing. He may not be the All-Defensive-level player he was with the Celtics a few years back, but there’s something there.
Robert Williams makes threes now, watch out
Not to mention that he shoots threes (on a low volume) now. Back in the summer of 2023, before Boston traded Timelord to the Trail Blazers in the Jrue Holiday deal, the big man had been sharing clips of himself in the gym getting shots up from distance.
It was clear that a plan had been set in motion to add a jump shot to his game.
This year in Portland, that plan finally seems to have come to fruition. Williams is currently shooting 43.8% from beyond the arc on just 0.4 attempts per game. Again, that’s the not volume needed to prove that he’s a consistent shooter, but it’s something.
From the corners, in particular, he’s been reliable. According to Basketball Index, Williams shoots 50% from the right corner and 44.4% from the left.
Adding that shot is huge. Not only does it make him a spacing threat, but it also enables him to crash from the corner for offensive rebound opportunities. Plus, in the very small sample size, fans have gotten to see that when Boston has run double-big lineups this season, Luka Garza often finds himself in the corner.
If the Celtics are actively looking to have their big men space from that area, the Williams could slide right in.
To be clear, nothing has been reported. There’s no real buzz that a reunion is in the cards. All that this is for is to point out that the fit could be there should the Cs look in Williams’ direction this summer.