Getty Jayson Tatum and Grant Williams of the Boston Celtics.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have an enviable starting five, headlined by a backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and a frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. All but Mobley have earned at least one All-Star appearance, with Mobley likely to make the midseason festivities so long as he continues building on last year’s Rookie of the Year runner-up momentum.
But if there’s an area for concern in Cleveland, it’s a lack of depth. Ricky Rubio, Dean Wade, Cedi Osman, Caris LeVert, and Danny Green all are decent-enough bench players, but none have the power to really carry the Cavs’ second unit.
That could change this summer, though.
With those four starters locked down to three-year deals, the Cavs could look to pad their depth via free agency. And according to Evan Dammarell of Right Down Euclid, the Cavs could look to borrow some depth from one of the NBA‘s deepest teams, the Boston Celtics.
“Grant Williams on the #Cavs would be a lot of fun next year if Boston doesn’t retain him,” Dammarell tweeted.
Grant Williams on the #Cavs would be a lot of fun next year if Boston doesn’t retain him.
Williams is averaging 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds for Boston this season, who uses the power forward primarily off the bench. Williams is also shooting 40.8% from three this season on 3.6 attempts.
That kind of shooting could go a long way on a Cavs team that ranks low in three-point efficiency this season.
Williams Misses Free Throws Against Cavs
Cavs fans might be especially familiar with Williams after the players’ recent on-court antics. Against the Cavs Monday night, Williams stepped up to the charity stripe with the game knotted at 109 and 0.8 remaining on the clock.
He triumphantly predicted that he’d make both shots, effectively icing the game for Boston.
He proceeded to miss both.
During the entire process, Mitchell was having his own words with Williams, trash-talking the player en route to an OT win.
The trash talk from Mitchell wasn’t anything too gnarly. The Cavs All-Star told reporters after the game that joked that Williams should miss one free throw so the two would have something to talk about on a Players Association call on Thursday. Both Mitchell and Williams serve on the Board of Player Representatives.
“He gave us both, but I didn’t box out Marcus Smart for the tip and that’s what I’m thinking about,” Mitchell said. “Thank God he missed ’em and we got the win.”
That’s why a Cavs-Williams union next season might be “fun,” as Dammarell noted.
Williams Looking for a $20 Million Deal
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Williams is looking toward San Antonio Spurs’ Keldon Johnson as a potential marker in negotiations, having opted against dealing the player ahead of the deadline.
”The Celtics, to no one’s surprise, did not trade Grant Williams. Making minor tweaks was the understandable preference for the defending Eastern Conference champions when they ranked as the league’s only team with a win total in the 40s entering Monday’s play. Yet rumbles persist that various teams are monitoring the situation and curious about Williams’ future there. Williams is poised to become a restricted free agent this summer and said to be seeking a contract in the Keldon Johnson-in-San Antonio, $20-million-annually range,” Stein reported in February.
The Cavs are projected to have roughly $12.7 million in cap space this summer, per Spotrac.
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Cavaliers Urged to Target ‘Fun’ Celtics Forward in Free Agency This Summer