Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams was one of several players from the 2019 NBA Draft class who didn't sign a contract extension before Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET deadline.
These players must wait until after the 2022-23 season to sign an extension, and they also are eligible to become restricted free agents next summer.
"It was one of those things that you couldn’t come to terms," Williams told reporters after Tuesday's shootaround.
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"It doesn’t mean that the deal doesn’t get done next year, it doesn’t mean that a deal won’t get done in the future. For us, it’s a matter of perspective. I want to make sure that not only the deal that I take is something I feel confident about, but it’s something that doesn’t mess up the guys around me, doesn't mess up the market for guys that do the things that I do."
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Even though no deal was reached, Williams made it clear that there aren't any bad feelings between the two sides.
"It’s one of those things that, you never want to take a bad deal for no one around you," Williams explained. "When you look across the league, and you look at the role that I play as VP of the player’s association, the idea is that you understand where the league is going in the future and where the league is currently at. For me, it wasn’t a matter of life-changing money, it was a matter of value, not only for this year, but for years to come. I think that from both sides, I think we all negotiated from that point, and there was no ill will. There were no frustrations."
Williams showed a lot of improvement last season. He averaged a career-high 7.8 points per game, shot an impressive 41.1 percent from 3-point range and hit 90.5 percent of his free throws. He became a valuable 3-and-D player off the bench. Williams also played a major role in the Celtics' Game 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2022 playoffs. His 27 points were key to Boston eliminating the defending champs.
Without an extension, Williams has all the motivation needed to be an even better player in 2022-23 and earn himself a significant payday next summer.
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Williams and the Celtics begin the new season Tuesday night when the Philadelphia 76ers come to TD Garden for the latest chapter in one of the league's great rivalries.