NBA Rumors: How League Expects Celtics To Approach Grant Williams’ Free Agency

Jaylen Brown isn’t the only homegrown Celtic who will enter the summer with an uncertain future in Boston.

Grant Williams is bound for restricted NBA free agency after the Celtics and the 2019 first-round pick failed to work out a contract extension before the start of the 2022-23 season. Williams set career highs in almost every majority category this season, but it’s unclear how much Boston values the 24-year-old. After all, he was stapled to the bench for 25% of the Celtics’ 2023 playoff contests.

But according to Heavy’s Steve Bulpett, NBA executives “fully expect” the C’s to retain Williams, as well as Boston. The reported belief around the league is that Boston, fresh off back-to-back deep postseason runs, doesn’t want to “engage in a game of roster Jenga” this offseason.

As a restricted free agency, any contract offer Williams receives this summer can be matched by the Celtics. And as Bulpett pointed out, there’s a chance the Tennessee product and Boston work out a new deal before Williams starts actively testing the free-agent waters and sees what’s out there. Williams’ batch of playoff DNPs reportedly will not knock down his value on the open market either.

For what it’s worth, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens recently noted the organization is a “big fan” of Williams and cited Boston’s depth as the main reason for his inconsistent role.