Insider Reveals Which Player Is Celtics’ ‘First Domino’ in Offseason

Getty Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla

The Boston Celtics entered the offseason having two situations to deal with on their roster – Jaylen Brown‘s and Grant Williams’ futures. While Brown is eligible for a lucrative extension, Williams has entered the offseason as a restricted free agent. Since the offseason started, the Celtics have not made a decision with either player, with many wondering why.

The Athletic’s Jared Weiss revealed on July 4 that the Celtics have not extended Brown yet because their first order of business is taking care of Williams’ free agency.

“While the Jaylen Brown extension is the most important piece of business, league and team sources told The Athletic the first domino they expect to fall will be Grant Williams’ restricted free agency,” Weiss wrote.

Weiss added that Williams’ market looks like despite that much of the league’s available cap space is gone.

“Though most of the league’s cap space has dried up at this point, the expectation with Williams has always been that a sign-and-trade or midlevel exception (MLE) would be the likely outcome. Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, New York, and Washington are all still in the mix, according to league sources, with Williams eligible to sign an offer sheet on July 6.”

Proposed Trade Sends Grant Williams to Mavericks

As Weiss brought up, one of the Celtics’ options with Williams is to sign and trade him. The Athletic’s Kelvin Cato outlined a trade that would send him to one of his reported suitors, the Mavericks.

Cato proposed the following trade.

Celtics get: Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee

Mavericks get: Grant Williams

Cato gave more details about how this trade would come to be and why the Mavericks would have interest in trading Hardaway and McGee for Williams.

“One potentially ideal conclusion to the Mavericks’ summer could involve a sign-and-trade for Boston Celtics restricted free agent forward Grant Williams and a salary dump involving Hardaway and McGee,” Cato wrote. “Curry could then be signed through the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, with the remainder of that ($7.9 million) then being used in an offer sheet for Portland restricted free agent Matisse Thybulle. That’s all theoretically possible, and Dallas’ interest in Williams, which was first reported by The Athletic in June, remains strong.”

Hardaway will be paid $17.8 million this coming season, while McGee will be paid $5.7 million. To make a trade work, the Mavericks would have to agree to pay Williams upwards of $20 million to match the contracts.

Marcus Smart Refutes Beef With Jaylen Brown

While giving his first thoughts on being traded away, Marcus Smart told reporters that he had no issue with Brown.

“I just want to shut all the rumors down now that me and J.B. had beef,” Smart told reporters, per Bobby Manning of CLNS Media. “I have no beef with anybody with the Celtics, none of my teammates. I love those guys. They love me. We’re brothers, and I know that if I’m ever in need, or need or what anything, I can call those guys, and it’s vice-versa.”

Smart also delved into the strong friendship he has with Brown.

“Me and J.B., we’re great. That’s my brother. He actually texted me and was just as disappointed as I was. So we’re good, and just because J.B. or any of my teammates didn’t post anything doesn’t mean we have beef.”