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Grant Williams broke out in his third year with the Boston Celtics. With his minutes going up from 18.1 a game in 2020-21 to 24.4 in 2022-23, Williams put up his best numbers as a pro. In 77 games, Williams averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks a game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from three.
Williams kept up his production in the 2022 playoffs, as he averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in the 24 games he played against the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, and Golden State Warriors. That included his playoff career-high against the Bucks, where he scored 27 points on seven threes to help the Celtics move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.
With Williams entering the last year of his rookie contract, he is eligible for an extension this offseason. According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Williams “held talks with the organization earlier in the offseason, but those have not resumed since July.”
If the Celtics don’t agree to an extension with Williams, they could extend the qualifying offer to him, making him a restricted free agent in 2023.
Williams Voiced His Desire to be Extended
On July 11, Williams was asked about where extension talks were going between him and the Celtics. Williams said they weren’t going to start for a while, but he would be ready when President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens was.
“(They) probably won’t start for a while,” Williams said. “We have a lot more things to accomplish, I feel like, as a team in case. If not, whenever Brad’s comfortable, that’s when we’ll start.”
Williams later added that he wants to stick around because he loves Boston and has a great relationship with his teammates.
“I think both parties are hopefully mutually understanding that we want to get this thing done and make sure that we come together and have a successful next few years,” Williams said. “Because I love Boston, I love the fact that I not only get to be there and be around the team that I’m with, cause I have great relationships with the guys. But I also just love the city and being able to live there.”
Rival Execs Aren’t Sure About Williams’ Future in Boston
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reported on July 19 that execs don’t believe the Celtics will spend more to keep Grant Williams than they did to keep Robert Williams III.
(Keldon) Johnson’s deal with San Antonio may also set the table for extension conversations with Grant Williams in Boston, although it’s difficult to foresee the Celtics rewarding their third-year defensive stalwart with such a splashy amount.
Boston found a value deal with Robert Williams III just last August, extending the Celtics’ starting center for four years, $48 million plus incentives. Cap experts contacted by B/R projected that that salary range can set a benchmark for Grant Williams’ negotiations, but rival executives are skeptical that Boston will be willing to spend much greater a dollar amount on Grant than for Robert.
The Celtics extended Robert Williams III last summer on a four-year, $54 million contract that will take effect when the 2022-23 starts.
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