NBA Rumors: 76ers' Thybulle, Celtics' Grant Williams, More to Be RFAs in Offseason
The 2022-23 campaign will be an important one for Philadelphia 76ers guard Matisse Thybulle, Phoenix Suns forward Cameron Johnson and Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams.
That is because Monday's deadline passed without any of them signing rookie extension deals, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. That means they will all become restricted free agents next offseason and could land noteworthy long-term contracts if they impress during the upcoming season.
Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington and Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura are also among those who did not sign a rookie extension deal.
Thybulle, Williams and Johnson all figure to have the opportunity to make an impression while competing for a championship.
Williams' Celtics reached the NBA Finals last season in part because of his solid defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo during the second-round victory over the Milwaukee Bucks and timely outside shooting throughout the playoffs.
He notably poured in 27 points in the Game 7 win over Milwaukee thanks to seven made three-pointers and scored 19 points in a Game 2 win over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston may run into Thybulle's 76ers in the Eastern Conference playoffs this season, which would give the 25-year-old the opportunity to match up with Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown as one of the best defenders in the league.
While he is often overshadowed by Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey when it comes to offense, Thybulle is a key defensive player who held opponents to 4.8 percent worse shooting overall and 11.6 percent worse shooting from deep when he defended them last season, per NBA.com.
Like Thybulle and Williams, Johnson is a role player on a championship contender.
Phoenix reached the 2021 NBA Finals and finished with the best record in the league last season. Johnson is coming off the best season of his career when he posted 12.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 42.5 percent from deep.
If he can build on that and perhaps help the Suns take the next step after they came so close to a championship the past two seasons, he could be in position to earn quite the raise ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
