Grant Williams is officially hitting the open market. Kind of.
The Boston Celtics have extended an $8.4 million qualifying offer to the 24-year-old to make him a restricted free agent, as first reported by The Athletic's Jared Weiss. The deadline for Boston to extend that offer was Thursday at midnight.
Williams could accept that $8.4 million offer and guarantee a return to the Celtics in 2023-24, but it's far more likely he tests the open market, where teams can sign him to an offer sheet beginning July 1. Boston would have two days to match that offer sheet (which would keep him with the C's) or let him sign with that team.
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After the Celtics traded for Kristaps Porzingis and his $36 million salary for 2023-24, reports suggested they likely wouldn't retain Williams, who should command north of $10 million per year on his next deal. Boston has just $7.3 million in cap space before it hits the second tax apron, so if the Celtics want to keep Williams, they'd likely exceed that line and face harsh roster-building penalties as a result.
Brad Stevens and Co. could decide Williams is worth the cost, however: He averaged a career-high 8.1 points per game this season while shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range and is a rugged defender who stepped up on both ends during Boston's run to the 2022 NBA Finals. He fell out of Joe Mazzulla's postseason rotation in 2023, though, recording five DNPs in 20 games and scoring in double digits just four times.
If the Celtics do have interest in keeping Williams, they may have to fend off suitors on the open market: More than "a half dozen" teams reportedly have inquired about the four-year veteran, with the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic included in that group.
The Celtics also could attempt to execute a sign-and-trade for Williams by giving him an extension and dealing him elsewhere, so there's still much to sort out about his future.
