NBA Free Agency: Celtics PF Grant Williams to Spurs?
As the San Antonio Spurs continue their trek to draft night, one player stands at the forefront of all team conversations.
Victor Wembanyama is a name that's likely been said more times than countable throughout the Spurs' front office, as they continue to discuss what kind of impact the French phenom could end up bringing to the team.
Aside from Wembanyama, however, the free agency market — while some Spurs fans may have already forgotten amidst the Wembanyama hype — does still exist.
San Antonio has kept its options open thus far, and could be eyeing veteran players to pair with its incoming rookie center as a mentor. Soon-to-be ex-Suns point guard Chris Paul has already emerged as a potential roster addition for the Spurs, but the young team's answer could be found elsewhere.
Instead of looking for a 10-year veteran, what about a still-young, up and coming player? One that has playoff experience, but won't break the bank for a team in search of additional help.
Celtics power forward Grant Williams could be that player for the Spurs, and what he brings would be arguably hard to refuse for the young team.
Williams had an up-and-down run in this year's postseason. The 24-year-old had the best season of his career during the regular season, averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds on 45 percent shooting from the floor, but despite his consistent play, his minutes in the postseason were all-but.
Through two games of the Celtics' first-round matchup against the Hawks, Williams played zero minutes. The next game, he played 18 minutes before dropping down to just one two days later. Not much changed in the second round, either.
Williams played just four minutes during Boston's Game 1 loss to the 76ers, but then registered more than 20 minutes in both of the Celtics' next two wins, helping his team past MVP Joel Embiid and company.
His reward for playing solid minutes in two victories, however? The power forward never played more than 10 minutes for the remainder of the seven-game series.
"The team’s veterans believed Williams would be crucial in the playoffs," The Athletic wrote of Williams' lack of rotational minutes. "Tatum and Brown met with Mazzulla in early March to implore him to put Williams back into the rotation.”
That didn't seem to do the trick, however, until the Eastern Conference Finals, when Williams played more than 15 minutes in every game but the first for the Celtics. Despite his solid performances, however, Boston fell short of the NBA Finals once again.
Now Williams is set to enter free agency, but would he really want to re-sign with the team that didn't play him consistently when it mattered most?
That question could be the driving force behind a change of scenery for the fourth-year veteran, though both sides have a decision to make.
Williams, now finished with his rookie contract, is set enter restricted free agency, but has yet to receive his qualifying offer from Boston. The Celtics have until June 29 to extend their one-year, $8.5 million deal or else they risk losing Williams without the right to first refusal.
Should the Spurs pursue him, Williams — who is likely to decline said qualifying offer — may ask for more money, though it wouldn't be outside of San Antonio's budget.
"I think his number is ... probably [around] the non-tax midlevel, which is at $12.2 million — I would say $12-14 million," ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks said on the Celtics Talk Podcast. "So now you're looking at Houston, Orlando, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, maybe Indiana."
While Boston is undoubtedly in a better position than San Antonio in terms of contention, the Spurs can offer Williams something that the Celtics didn't: playing time.
Especially with the arrival of Wembanyama, Williams would have a solid role as a forward, both playing alongside Jeremy Sochan and mentoring him and Victor. His veteran leadership is something that the Spurs would thrive on, but that's just off of the court.
Last season, Williams proved once again his ability to defend some of the league's top defenders. He finished with a top-25 defensive rating in the league, while shooting just shy of 40 percent from behind the arc. His shooting would be a big boost to the Spurs' offense, especially on kick-out passes while Wembanyama draws attention in the paint.
And if the power forward makes his way to San Antonio, the Spurs could be even more dangerous next season with a player focused on winning a championship.
"You can’t focus on tomorrow," Williams told HoopsHype. "You can only focus on what’s in front of you. For me, it’s always been about playing to the best ability that I can, and winning as many titles as I can."
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