“Teamwork and competitiveness. Really, it’s about working hard and coming in with the right mentality and the right attitude,” Grant Williams told reporters on Saturday.
No, he wasn’t exactly campaigning for a new contract as the Celtic forward navigates restricted free agency. Williams is hosting a Shaw’s & Star Market youth basketball clinic over the next two days at Boston University.
He continued, “the big thing is, especially at this age and as we grow up, your reputation and everything people will make of you. You don’t want to come in and not be your true self. Make sure that people understand that when you have a bad day, you can still come in with a great mentality, come in to work, and play well.”
Yesterday, NBA free agency opened up with a flurry of activity, but so far, none of that has included Williams. The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach reported that it’s “unlikely” that Williams will remain with the Celtics as a restricted free agent, but with cap space drying up around the league, a lucrative deal seems less and less possible for the four-year pro. Williams isn’t sweating it.
Just talked to Grant Williams at his Boston b-ball camp & he said he isn’t stressing the free agency period as it continues: “For me, it’s a matter of making sure you’re in a great position for the rest of your life,” he told me. pic.twitter.com/DNoGF2b6L1
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) July 1, 2023
“No matter what comes of it, no matter what happens, you want to make sure you’re leaving a place with a good heart and good mind,” Williams said. “I feel like I’ve done my best here [in Boston], trying to be not only a good person, but a good teammate. That’s just how you have to carry yourself wherever you are.”
As First President of the players’ union, Williams chuckled at the idea of studying all 676 pages of the new collective bargaining agreement but has skimmed through most of it. He argued for it’s competitive parity, but also said that it does not prevent superteams from coalescing — calling Phoenix and Boston (presumably after landing Kristaps Porzingis) as two of them. The team could surely use his services with contenders around the league fortifying their bench as the more punitive CBA makes it more difficult for expensive teams to do so.
But for now though, Williams is a Celtic and still serving the city of Boston through this weekend at his basketball camp. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we see him in green.
