The Boston Celtics were reportedly unable to reach a deal on a contract extension with Grant Williams by Monday’s deadline, meaning the 23-year-old will be a restricted free agent in 2023.
The reported lack of an extension comes from The Athletic’s Jared Weiss and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, as Williams joins Phoenix Suns’ Cam Johnson, Charlotte Hornets’ P.J. Washington and Washington Wizards’ Rui Hachimura as other players who didn’t sign a rookie extension and will enter restricted free agency next offseason.
Williams will turn 24 on Nov. 30, and the forward grew into a key contributor for the Celtics as part of their NBA Finals run. The fourth-year forward earned more minutes last season and made good use of them. He averaged 7.8 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game and was a 41.1% 3-point shooter in 24.4 minutes per game.
Williams will be relied upon in the start of the 2022-23 season as Robert Williams III and Danilo Gallinari deal with their respective knee injuries.
Restricted free agency does give Boston a chance to get Williams locked in long term. If another team does want to sign the forward, they will have to sign him to an offer sheet using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is projected to be $11.4 million in 2023-24.
So unless a team really wants to sign Williams, the Celtics have the best chance to get the young forward back to Boston. Until then, the C’s open the season against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
