Western Conference Team Linked to Grant Williams

It’s unclear whether Grant Williams will be with the Boston Celtics for the 2023-2024 season. Williams is set to become a restricted free agent on Friday and a Western Conference team may be interested in making an offer.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, Williams is being linked to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz’s frontcourt rotation includes Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Kelly Olynyk, and the recently-acquired John Collins.

Collins is expected to earn a team-high salary of $78 million over three years. The Jazz’s front office, however, can free up $28 million of cap space, pending that they part ways with Jordan Clarkson.

Danny Ainge, Utah’s current executive, has a long-dated history with the Celtics. In addition to playing for the franchise for eight seasons, Ainge served as Boston’s president of basketball operations from 2003 to 2021.

During his term, Ainge drafted Williams with the 22nd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. In 2020, while talking on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Rich”, Ainge revealed that Williams was his most frequent office visitor at that time.

“We talk about a lot of things in life, but he’s a great kid. I really like Grant, but he really likes to talk. He can talk about anything. I think he had Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter offered to pay him $100 per game to not say anything in the locker room.”

Based on past interactions, Ainge might campaign to bring his former player to Utah. Last season, the Celtics forward averaged a career-high 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds over 79 games.