Grant Williams is a valuable rotation player for the Boston Celtics, but if they want to keep him past this season, they may have to pay up.
Williams is set to hit restricted free agency this offseason after he and the Celtics failed to agree to terms on a new contract extension before the 2022-23 season. In restricted free agency, another team can offer Williams a contract, but the Celtics can match it to keep him in Boston.
It sounds like Williams indeed will have interest from other teams this summer.
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"Various teams are monitoring the situation and curious about Williams’ future (in Boston)," longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote in his newsletter Monday night. Stein added that Williams is "said to be seeking" a new contract worth $ 20 million per year, similar to the four-year, $ 74 million extension that Keldon Johnson signed with the San Antonio Spurs last summer.
That would be a hefty price tag for Williams, who's averaging 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in his fourth season with the Celtics. Such a deal would make Williams the team's fourth-highest-paid player by 2023-24 salary, ahead of Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Robert Williams.
Williams could just be setting the bar high and perhaps would accept a deal in the $ 15 million to $ 20 million per year range. The 24-year-old also may decide it's worth taking a slight discount to remain with a title contender in Boston rather than earn more on a worse team.
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Williams is a great fit for the Celtics in many ways. He's a strong 3-point shooter (41.0 percent this season) and a versatile defender who battled admirably with Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2022 postseason.
The C's absolutely would benefit from re-signing him, but only if the cost is reasonable, so it will be worth monitoring Williams' market this summer and whether the Celtics' offer is in the same ballpark as other teams with interest.