Celtics Role Player Could Price Himself Out of Boston in 2022-23

Getty Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams, and Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics react during the second half against the Phoenix Suns.

After taking part in arguably the greatest midseason turnaround in NBA history and advancing to their first NBA Finals in over a decade during the 2021-22 season, the Boston Celtics find themselves gearing up for a 2022-23 campaign that, by the looks of things, is shaping up to be even more successful.

Considering the bevy of roster-bolstering transactions made this summer, the reigning league runner-ups have managed to shore up several weak spots found within last year’s rotation that aided in their ultimate demise.

With proven offensive threats like Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari in tow, Boston has seemingly found some much-needed assets to help strengthen their bench scoring unit that just recently ranked 26 in both points per game and offensive rating.

Now, with these high-profile additions, it will be up to head coach Ime Udoka to fiddle with the rotation to get his new veterans the ample playing time that both of them deserve.

And while some may be in line to see a regression in their role when in comparison to last year in order for the Celtics to make things work, Keith Smith of CelticsBlog seems to be convinced that one role player, in particular, won’t be affected by the expected shakeups.

That player: Grant Williams.

When discussing possible future extensions for Celtics players with cohort Jack Simone, Smith stated that the fourth-year forward could be in line to earn somewhere in the “$12 to $13 million a year range” after his current contract comes to an end at the conclusion of this year, though admitted that with a strong performance in 2022-23 he could receive offers in the “$15 to $20 million a year range,” which could be harder for Brad Stevens and company to commit to.

And though there is no telling how Williams’ season will shape out, considering the considerable baggage attached to starting big men Al Horford and Robert Williams III, Smith projects the 23-year-old to see an even bigger role in Udoka’s rotation than he did last year.

“I think they’re going to be very judicious, cautious, I don’t know how you want to put it, with both Horford and Rob this year. Horford, we already saw, when it’s back to back or he needs a rest day, he gets a rest day. But I think with both of those guys, it’s going to be, you know, ‘alright, hey, they need a night, give them a night,’ and then that probably means Grant’s next up… So it’s kind of a big year for him.”

Grant Williams finds himself coming off of a sensational season where he posted career-highs all across the board, averaging 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and just shy of a block per game while shooting 47.5% from the floor and 41.1% from deep, the latter of which ranking in as the second-highest mark on the team of those who played over 700 minutes on the year.

Horford, Brown Also up for Celtics Extensions

Aside from Grant Williams, Keith Smith also went on to discuss two other Boston Celtics players who are closing in on contract extension talks themselves in Jaylen Brown and Al Horford.

It is very unlikely for the former to ink any kind of deal this season or next season, as he is not currently valued as being a max-contract player and, by waiting for the summer of 2024, he could theoretically make roughly $6 million more in base salary than what he’d be signing to today.

For the latter, however, considering he’ll be 37 years old come the end of next season, Smith is under the impression that the Celtics will be rather “cautious” with what they opt to shell out to their veteran big.

“I think what you’ll see is probably something in the range of, let’s say, two years, $25 to $30 million. You know, where it’s probably split pretty evenly. Second year, maybe a team option, maybe a partial guarantee, something like that. I would be shocked if it’s anything beyond a two-year extension at this point, just because of where he’s at in his career. I think you want to be very cautious.”

Gallinari Out ‘At Least’ Two Months

A major factor in why Grant Williams could see an increased role during this upcoming season is due to the injury to newly-acquired power forward Danilo Gallinari who, when signed on, seemed slated to see big minutes at the four, thus likely eating into the 23-year-old’s playing time.

Diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee, the veteran sustained the injury while playing for Italy in a 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifier on August 27.

His recovery timeline of “at least two months” will almost certainly keep him out till November, which could be argued as being on the earlier side.