For the first time in years, former Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams III has strung together a stretch of consistent minutes. He’s stayed healthy enough to be on the court, and the Portland Trail Blazers have been utilizing him as a part of their rotation on a fairly regular basis. He has appeared in 12 of their last 14 games.
However, he may not be on the Blazers for much longer, and if he does end up leaving them this summer (or even before that), he could be an intriguing candidate for Boston to target. Though nothing is inevitable, or even close to it, if the Blazers do decide to let him walk, a reunion could be a very intriguing idea.
Should the Celtics choose to explore it, that is.
Could Celtics pursue a Robert Williams reunion?
Williams makes just under $13.3 million this season and is on an expiring deal. That makes him a prime candidate to get traded at the deadline, if he can draw any interest.
Obviously, Williams’ health has been a major concern over the years. He hasn’t played in more than 35 games since his 2021-22 All-Defensive campaign with the Celtics, and that was the only season of his career that he played in at least 60 games (61).
That said, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line noted in a recent rumors report that he could be a candidate to be moved by the deadline:
“I've also been told that Portland is forecasted to be more willing to move Robert Williams III this season compared to last season, when the Trail Blazers maintained a high asking price for the oft-injured big man.”
Based on that information alone, it seems as though Portland’s asking price for Williams has gone down, which makes sense, given his inability to consistently stay on the court.
The only feasible way for Boston to acquire Williams in a deal would be to trade one of Anfernee Simons or Sam Hauser, and from the Blazers’ perspective, only one of those would be doable. (And for the Celtics, shipping out the reliable Hauser for an expiring, injury-prone Williams doesn’t seem smart).
That said, if the Blazers don’t end up getting any good offers for Williams, he could potentially be a buyout candidate if Portland would rather prioritize playing their younger guys.
And since he makes less than the non-taxpayer MLE (and Boston is no longer a second-apron team), they could be in the mix to sign him.
But even if Portland doesn’t buy him out, the Celtics could potentially look to sign him in free agency this summer as they attempt to fix their center rotation.
Regardless of how it comes about, if Williams’ time in Portland is coming to a close, which is seems like it might be, Boston could be an interesting team to keep an eye on in terms of interest.