According to multiple reports, Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams is garnering much trade interest. Williams will hit free agency as a restricted free agent on July 1. So, a sign-and-trade is realistically the only way a trade can occur. Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports that at least a half-dozen teams have contacted the 24-year-old.
NBA Rumors: Several Teams Targeting Boston Celtics Forward Grant Williams In Sign-and-Trade
One of those teams interested in a sign-and-trade is the Dallas Mavericks, per The Athletic’s Tim Cato. Cato said a league source, who spoke anonymously, told him that the Mavericks have talked to the Celtics about Williams.
“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,” Cato wrote. “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.”
Celtics Want to Keep Williams
Williams has been a mainstay in Boston’s rotation since his rookie campaign in 2019. The 6-6 forward has improved every season, compiling career-best numbers this season. He averaged 8.1 points, 4.6 caroms, and 1.5 treys a game this season. Williams also produced three double-doubles while shooting 45.4% from the field and 39.5% from the 3-point line.
Williams is almost strictly a spot-up 3-point shooter. Nearly 60% of his shot were from beyond the arc last year, and 61.1% of his attempts were from long distance this season. He has been an above-average shooter from the 3-point line for the past two years.
Williams is also an underrated facilitator and an effective screener. While Williams has been lauded for his defense throughout his NBA career, he has leveled off over the past two years. Williams has always had difficulty guarding on the perimeter, but this past season was his worst. He was exposed entirely defensively during the playoffs.
Williams also received six DNP-Coaches Decisions during the playoffs. Additionally, he logged four minutes or less in three postseason contests.
Still, Boston’s brass has steadfastly wanted to keep him. However, the Celtics may not be able to afford him. Williams turned down an extension offer around the projected $12.2 million mid-level exception (MLE) before last season. Despite a tumultuous year in and out of the rotation, there appears to be a market brewing that could push his value beyond the MLE most teams above the cap could offer.
Boston’s Salary Situation
In February, Substack’s Marc Stein reported that Williams sought a contract worth roughly $20 million per season.
According to the league source, “barring a surprisingly massive deal,” the Celtics would match any offer sheet Williams inks this summer.
Williams recently underwent surgery on his left hand. It announced he had a successful procedure to repair a tear of the radial collateral ligament of the third metacarpo-phalangeal joint on his non-shooting hand. But the expectation is he’ll return to basketball activities in six-to-eight weeks.
Boston has 13 players under contract for the upcoming season though that number drops to 11 if the Kristaps Porzingis trade goes through. The Celtics are sending Marcus Smart to Memphis, Mike Muscala, and Danilo Gallinari to Washington.
The acquisition of Porzingis puts Boston’s payroll at about $177 million, which is $5 million below the leagues’ super tax apron, according to Hoops Hype Yossi Gozlan. This includes the $2.6 million slotted for the No. 25 pick in Thursday night’s draft.
The new Kristaps Porzingis trade leaves the Celtics just $5M below the second apron with the addition of the 25th overall pick.
The Grant Williams situation is still the same, but if he leaves they're now less likely to have the $5M tax MLE unless they reduce their payroll. https://t.co/ZlamDXADvo
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) June 22, 2023
The Celtics increased their salary by $11 million in the trade for Porzingis.
What Could Teams Offer For Williams In a Sign-and-Trade?
Boston’s acquisition of Porzingis is expected to affect Williams and the Celtics significantly. Boston is no longer expected to sign Williams, so a sign-and-trade may not be necessary.
According to multiple league sources, the completion of the Porzingis deal would likely mean that Grant Williams's time in Boston has come to an end.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) June 21, 2023
However, if a team has a strong affection for Williams, they may want to go the sign-and-trade route to avoid a bidding war.
So, what could teams offer the Celtics?
Besides Dallas, Orlando, Brooklyn, and Indiana are the known teams expected to pursue Williams. Detroit and Milwaukee have been rumored to be interested.
Dallas is expected to re-sign Kyrie Irving though the price tag is still in question. The Mavericks have nine players under contract and have about $17 million in exceptions. The best the Celtics could hope for is future picks from the Mavs, who don’t own another draft pick until 2025.
Orlando is expected to have plenty of cap space and a $7.7 room exception. The Magic could offer the Celtics their No. 36 pick in this draft or some future considerations.
“He [Williams] is 24, he has proven his chops on both ends,” a West exec told Heavy.com. “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.”
More Offers For Williams
Brooklyn is over the cap. But the Nets own the 21st and 22nd picks in this year’s draft. They also have several trade exceptions. Mikal Bridges has reportedly been recruiting Williams to Brooklyn.
Come save the city we need you @Grant2Will pic.twitter.com/kswjh8DuXM
— Mikal Bridges (@mikal_bridges) June 7, 2023
Indiana has plenty of cap space and draft capital. The Pacers had five draft picks in 2023 though they traded away the 29th and 32nd selections to Denver today.
The Nuggets are trading the least favorable of its 2024 first-round picks in deal to move into the first-round and early second in Thursday's NBA Draft, per sources. https://t.co/fV40LZCrgk
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2023
Milwaukee has inquired about Williams’ availability in the past. The Bucks will be over the cap if they re-sign Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. The Bucks have a second-round choice to send out this year, but their future assets are relatively bare.
Detroit has a lot of cap space and could really use a player like Williams. The Pistons have quite a bit of draft capital.
