Celtics Rumors: East Rival To Be ‘In The Mix’ For Grant Williams

The Boston Celtics need to address their Grant Williams dilemma, which has begun to open the door for outsiders to potentially swoop in this offseason.

Williams, 24, has remained with Boston for the past two seasons under club-exercised contract options after both sides failed to agree on a long-term extension, leading up to this point. With that in mind, the Indiana Pacers are rumored to be keeping an eye on Williams as a possible target in their offseason blueprint.

"The Pacers are expected to be one team in the mix for restricted free agent Grant Williams," Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer wrote Thursday.

As expected, the entirety of last season led to speculation surrounding Williams, whether it'd be the estimated desired dollar amount he'd seek before signing wherever or if said reports impacted his consistency in minutes played.

Indiana, on the other hand, is undergoing a rebuild. It's clear the Pacers have their young go-to man in All-Star Tyrese Haliburton but don't have nearly the amount of depth within their roster required to assemble a deep playoff hunt, which became evident in their 35-47 finish as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Haliburton, 23, could use the services of a player like Williams -- who best excels in a 3-and-D role -- to boost an underwhelming Indiana roster that shot 36.7% from outside range this past season, ranking 11th among teams in the NBA.

This puts Boston's front office in a position (and rapidly) to face the uncomfortable question that lies ahead: Do the Celtics really need Williams moving forward? Yes, when at his best, Williams can uplift a team, both in shooting and defense. However, at what cost?

Is it worth spending another Robert Williams III-like contract ($54 million) on a reserve unit guy that's off-and-on from 3-point territory that quickly becomes a liability once he dribbles inside the perimeter? Probably not. The Celtics could use some improvement in their own roster, so dropping a hefty bag on Williams would make for a more reckless spending option than anything else. So, if the Pacers are willing to spend, let them.

Again, an uncomfortable question to ask, but one the Celtics can't avoid nonetheless.