Getty Grant Williams #12, Al Horford #42, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics will no longer have to worry about Al Horford’s next contract when his current one ends in 2023, as they have agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract extension with Horford, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
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.
While they will no longer have to worry about Horford for the upcoming free agency, what remains is how they will approach Grant Williams’ restricted free agency during the summer. After Horford’s extension had been announced, Keith Smith of CelticsBlog explained to fans how his new deal would impact Williams’ upcoming free agency.
Smith explained that Horford’s extension, along with Danilo Gallinari presumably picking up his player option next season, will put their payroll at $159.6 million. Smith then projected how much the Celtics will be over the tax for next season with a Williams extension factored in.
Boston will now be at about $159.6M in salaries for next season, with the Horford extension factored in and Gallinari picking up his PO.
The tax line projects at $162M for right now. That means re-signing Grant Williams will push the team in the range of $15-20M over the tax.
Smith then said that with how much they are over the tax line this season, Williams’ extension “shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.” Smith added that Horford’s extension should allow the Celtics to extend Williams and fill out the rest of the roster.
The Celtics are about $25.6M over the tax line for this season. Presumably going that far over again next season shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.
Essentially: even after locking up Horford to an extension, Boston has the ability to re-sign Grant Williams and fill out the roster.
Horford originally agreed to his current contract in 2019 when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers.
Insider’s Insight on Williams’ Extension
After Horford’s extension had been announced, Brian Robb of MassLive gave his insight on how the Celtics will approach Grant Williams’ extension after locking up Horford for two extra years.
“Williams is still a vital part of the Celtics rotation, 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.”
Robb said that Williams’ restricted free agency and the limited cap room other teams have puts him in a bind regarding possible offer sheets.
“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.”
Robb then said that extending Horford will make the Celtics more comfortable when they approach extension talks with Williams.
“The Celtics already knew this, leading to their stance in negotiations, but they now protect themselves further by having their top two bigs in Horford and Rob Williams locked up. Boston will want to keep Williams, but they can feel better about doing so on their terms.”
How Celtics Approached Extension Talks With Williams
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Celtics drew the line at $50 million over four years when discussing an extension with Williams.
“During extension talks with Grant Williams, the Celtics never offered more than $50 million guaranteed over four years, league sources told HoopsHype. As I previously reported on HoopsHype, Williams would’ve taken a deal for $14 million annually. There are some around the league that believe an offer around $18 million annually could be too much for Boston to match in restricted free agency,” Scotto wrote.
With Horford locked up for the next two seasons, the Celtics may feel comfortable giving Williams what he wants. The only way to know for sure is when Williams agrees to his next contract this summer, whoever that may be with.