After having wrapped up his fourth year with the Boston Celtics, power forward Grant Williams will be looking to ink a new lucrative pay-day by way of unrestricted free agency.
Unfortunately, as he heads toward the league’s negotiating period, he’ll be coming to the table with the recently broken news by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that he’s just undergone a procedure on his left hand.
“Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams – who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer — had surgery on his left hand Friday that’s expected to have him fully recovered for the start of NBA training camp in the fall, sources told ESPN. The surgery, considered successful, comes after Williams hurt the hand in March. Williams decided to continue playing with the injury through the Celtics’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals,” Wojnarowski reported.
ESPN Sources: Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams – who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer — had surgery on his left hand Friday that’s expected to have him fully recovered for the start of fall training camp:
Per another report by Spotrac’s Keith Smith, Grant Williams will be cleared to resume on-court basketball activities in 6-8 weeks. The hope is this will not impact his leverage in contract negotiations.
Grant Williams Predicted to Receive $52 Million From Celtics
When it comes to what Grant Williams could wind up netting himself on the free agency market, at this point it’s truly anyone’s guess.
However, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes seems to believe that the power forward should wind up landing a new contract with the Celtics and predicts that he’ll put pen to paper on a lofty new four-year, $52 million deal.
“Grant Williams has made solid contributions to highly successful Boston Celtics teams during his four-year career, but he doesn’t carry an imminent-breakout profile. Limited athletically and effective mostly because of his brain and competitive nature, he would fit best on a team that could use him much as the Celtics do. That means spot starts during the year, and perhaps in certain matchups in the playoffs, but a role that ultimately tops out at about 25 minutes per game. A career 37.9 percent shooter from long range and a capable defender against bigger opponents, he brings real value—just not in a full-time starter role,” Hughes wrote.
Despite finding himself residing in and out of head coach Joe Mazzulla‘s rotation throughout the 2022-23 season, Grant Williams still managed to put up career highs in several statistical categories, finishing with averages of 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field and 39.5% from deep through 79 games played.
Suns Showing Interest in Payton Pritchard
On June 2, The Athletic’s Jay King reported that Payton Pritchard hopes to be traded away from the Celtics this summer.
Payton Pritchard dishes an assist for his first career triple-double 👀
24 PTS, 11 REB, 10 AST
📺: Live on ESPN
Though the third-year guard is still somewhat unproven and is coming off career lows virtually all across the board, it appears that the idea of his potential availability has drawn the interest of one particular title-contending club, as Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that the Phoenix Suns are keeping an eye on the 23-year-old.
“Payton Pritchard, the former first-round pick who fell out of Boston’s rotation, has several supporters in Phoenix’s front office,” Fischer wrote. “(He) is expected to feature prominently in the NBA’s general trade landscape this summer when Pritchard becomes extension eligible.”
This report comes following the Suns’ decision to waive legendary point guard Chris Paul who, ironically, is viewed by Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale as a legitimate option for the Celtics.
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Celtics Forward Undergoes Procedure Ahead of Pivotal Offseason