On Thursday, Al Horford signed a two-year, $20 million contract extension with the Boston Celtics, and the team’s latest contract negotiations with Grant Williams fell short in October.
Williams reportedly turned down Boston’s contract extension offer. He was seeking a deal worth close to $15 million annually. So, will the Celtics attempt to re-sign the fourth-year player after the 2022-23 season?
Based on a few NBA betting sites, the Celtics are the top favorite to win the championship in 2023. Some sportsbooks are showing top-three odds for the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors.
The Boston Celtics are unlikely to sign Grant Williams to a contract extension, per @JakeLFischer
“There does not seem to be an extension coming for forward Grant Williams, sources said” pic.twitter.com/8uLcdkuU9q
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) October 12, 2022
Aside from winning their 18th championship, re-signing Williams has to be the Celtics’ number one priority. Brian Robb of Mass Live is a firm believer in G.M. Brad Stevens exploring other options.
“Williams is still a vital part of the Celtics rotation,” reported Robb, “but the team will likely feel less of an urgency to overpay for him in his next deal after getting Horford under contract for the next two seasons even after Williams’ strong start to this year.
“The truth for Williams is that the restricted free agent market is generally a tough spot for a role player like him given the limited cap room available for other teams to spend and an unwillingness for teams to put out offer sheets that could tie up their flexibility.”
Since the Celtics re-signed Al Horford, will the team consider re-signing Grant Williams after the 2022-23 season?
Through 21 appearances this season, Williams is averaging career highs of 8.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. Plus, he’s shooting 52% from the field and 44.2% from three-point range.
During the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the forward scored a playoff career-high 27 points in Game 7 of the Celtics’ 109-81 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Boston Celtics center Al Horford has agreed on a two-year, $20 million contract extension that ties him to the franchise through his 39th birthday, his agent Jason Glushon of @GlushonSM tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/10v0FHqIIU
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 1, 2022
At the moment, Grant Williams ranks sixth on the Celtics in points per game and fourth in rebounding. While still an asset for the championship contender, the front office felt the 24-year-old is not ready to receive Marcus Smart money.
Smart is earning $17,207,142 this season. Of course, the Oklahoma State product won NBA Defensive Player of the Year last season. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.8 boards, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
Moreover, the Celtics will only re-sign Williams next summer if he accepts a more reasonable deal. That seems unlikely, especially if he plays well in the playoffs this season. By the sounds of it now, this could be his last season in a Celtics uniform.
Quite a few teams are unwilling to pay a role player $15 million per season.
