Robert Williams III has ended any realistic hopes of a Celtics reunion, agreeing to a new $44 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers that keeps the popular former Boston center off the free-agent market.
Williams’ new contract closes the door on Celtics fans’ dreams that Boston could explore bringing back the defensive standout, who became a fan favorite during his five seasons with the Celtics.
Robert Williams III’s New Deal With the Trail Blazers
The three-year extension runs through the 2028-29 season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who cited agent Kevin Bradbury of LIFT Sports Management as the source on terms. Portland moved before Williams could test the open market, a decision that followed the healthiest season of his career.
Williams appeared in 59 games for the Trail Blazers in 2025-26, his second-highest total in any season and a sharp turnaround from the injury-shortened years that preceded it, according to Blazers Edge. His availability helped Portland secure the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, and the front office reportedly planned all along to either pursue him in free agency or get an extension done before the June 30 deadline.
Williams was drafted 27th overall by the Boston Celtics in 2018 out of Texas A&M, where pre-draft concerns about his health and maturity contributed to the slide. A diagnosis of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome in both legs, a rare vascular condition that compresses circulation, surfaced before the draft and was reportedly known to teams including Boston. He spent his first five NBA seasons with the Celtics, earning NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2021-22 and reaching the Finals that year, before a trade sent him to Portland on October 1, 2023.
Boston’s Reunion Hopes Fall Apart
Reporting throughout the offseason had repeatedly connected Williams to a possible return. Marc Stein reported the Celtics included Williams on their list of free-agent center targets, alongside names like Kevon Looney, according to Blazers Edge. Bobby Marks of ESPN, cited by MassLive, named Williams among the top available free-agent centers and noted Boston’s interest in his defensive skill set.
NBC Sports Boston had explored whether the Celtics should pursue Williams using the taxpayer mid-level exception, worth roughly $15 million annually, as a known commodity at center. That speculation gained traction when Williams began to look like a different player in his bounce-back season, healthy enough to anchor a rotation.
But Williams signed before the Celtics could make a formal pitch. Williams had earlier been expected to leave Portland as a free agent, seeking a contract worth $15 million per season. Portland gave him $14.67 million per season, according to Charania’s report.
Williams’ injury history remains extensive with multiple knee surgeries, a torn meniscus in March 2022, a patellar dislocation that ended his 2023-24 season after six games, and a left knee arthroscopy in March 2025 that cut short the following year, according to Rip City Project’s injury tracker. Across eight NBA seasons, he has played roughly 37 games per year on average and topped 50 games in a season only twice. When healthy, though, the production has been solid. The center known as “Time Lord” has a career field-goal percentage near 72% and a reputation as one of the league’s better rim protectors. Portland is now hoping that 2025-26 was more than a one-year anomaly.
Robert Williams III Ends Celtics Reunion Hopes With $44 Million Portland Deal