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League source believes Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams will remain with Celtics this offseason
The Celtics will have 48 hours to match any offer sheet that Williams signs this summer.
The Boston Celtics have plenty to address this offseason as they look to retool a contending roster while juggling a looming cap crunch.
Jaylen Brown’s potential supermax extension and Grant Williams’ upcoming restricted free agency stand at the top of Brad Stevens’ summer to-do list.
But even with fiscal questions and an uneven postseason from both Williams and Brown, both Celtics might not be on the move in the coming months.
Citing a league source, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reported on Monday that Boston does not intend to trade Brown, while “all signs continue to point toward” Brown signing the five-year, $295 million super-max extension later this summer.
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“I can say, without a doubt, we want Jaylen to be here,” Stevens said earlier this month during Boston’s end-of-season press conference. “He’s a big part of us and we believe in him and I’m thankful for him … Jaylen had a great year, All-NBA year. He’s a big part of us moving forward in our eyes.”
Along with Brown, Himmelsbach’s source noted that it remains “quite likely” that Williams will be back in Boston in 2023-24.
The 24-year-old forward is due a significant pay raise this offseason once he hits RFA status on June 30. Boston could opt to move him in a sign-and-trade deal in the coming weeks in order to recoup additional assets.
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But even though Williams has the ability as an RFA to seek a contract with other NBA teams and sign an offer sheet, the Celtics still have plenty of leverage when it comes to the scrappy forward.
If Williams does sign an offer sheet, Boston has 48 hours to decide if they want to match the offer sheet or let him walk in free agency.
According to the league source, “barring a surprisingly massive deal”, the Celtics would match any offer sheet that Williams inks this summer.
Last fall, the Celtics and Williams’ representatives discussed a contract extension that could have reached around $50 million over four seasons, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. However, the conversations were halted after both sides could not agree on the guarantee structure.
In February, Substack’s Marc Stein reported that Williams is seeking a contract worth roughly $20 million per season. Even if Williams was looking to land a contract with that payout this summer, his options will likely be limited.
Only eight teams are projected to have at least $20 million in cap space, barring any additional moves.
Williams played a key role in Boston’s run to the NBA Finals in 2022, but had an up-and-down 2022-23 campaign under first-year coach Joe Mazzulla.
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Even though Williams posted career highs in points (8.1) and rebounds (4.6) per game, he struggled to earn consistent minutes in Mazzulla’s rotation, especially during the postseason.
Still, given the Celtics’ shaky frontcourt depth, Boston ideally isn’t looking to move on for a versatile player like Williams unless a massive offer sheet lands on Brad Stevens’ desk.
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