NBA Rumors: Heading into the offseason, the expectation is that Grant Williams could be one of the most sought-after free agents.
Just a few days before the NBA All-Star break, the Boston Celtics seem like a team that is going to be the favorite to win the championship heading into the playoffs. Short of a disaster of an injury falling upon the Celtics, this is a team that has the top-level talent, supporting cast, coaching, and depth to win a championship this season.
However, no matter what happens for this team in the playoffs, they will have some big decisions to make heading into the offseason. And one of those big decisions that the team will have to make revolves around what to do with Grant Williams.
Williams has been a versatile productive player for the Celtics for the past couple of seasons and even though he isn’t a full-time starter, he would be a massive loss for the team. And at just 24 years old, Williams is going to hit restricted free agency this offseason.
According to a recent report, the expectation is that Williams is going to receive vast interest in free agency and could command upwards of a $20 million per year contract. If that is indeed so, it would force an interesting decision for the Celtics.
Grant Williams is a versatile, unique two-way player
Williams only averages nine points and five rebounds per game on 41 percent shooting from 3-point range but only plays about 27 minutes per game. In an expanded role, you’d have to expect that his numbers would be higher. However, it goes well beyond just his counting stats. He impacts the game far greater than what can be measured in the stat sheet.
But as a 6-foot-6 power forward, it will be interesting to see what an undersized role player would receive on the open market. I don’t think anyone would confuse Williams with a star but he is an important player for Boston.
Could he be a Draymond Green-lite player in the next couple of seasons in an expanded role? If he is going to command $20 million per season during the offseason, that’s kind of what would be the expectation for his ceiling.
Nevertheless, it seems that Williams is going to be a big free-agent target this offseason. The question is, will the Boston Celtics be the team that ends up signing Williams or will he seek greener pastures?