Celtics' Grant Williams: 'Disappointment' to Not Get New Contract Before Deadline

Grant Williams wanted to land a long-term contract extension with the Boston Celtics before the start of the 2022-23 season, but he's not sweating his impending free agency.

"For me, it was a disappointment," Williams told Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. "But you know how much you've worked. You let your work show, and who knows? You might be able to get a better deal than you were in the contract negotiations in the first place."

Williams will be a restricted free agent next July since he and the Celtics failed to reach a rookie extension before the start of the regular season. The fourth-year forward is off to a stellar start to the 2022-23 campaign, averaging a career-high 9.6 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting a jaw-dropping 69.6 percent from the floor.

That level of historic efficiency won't continue—his 66.7 percent mark from three-point range would blast every conceivable NBA record—but he's slowly developed into a quality two-way role player. Williams has enough length and quickness to overcome his 6'6" frame at the 4, using his on-court smarts and switchability to provide solid team defense while stretching the floor on the offensive end.

Contracts like Williams' tend to be the most difficult to negotiate. He's decidedly not a max player and almost certainly will never develop into one. That said, he's 23 years old and has improved in all four of his NBA seasons. Williams wants to be paid like someone who will continue that developmental trajectory, while the Celtics are understandably wary of breaking the bank for someone who tops out as a role player.

The most likely scenario is Boston allows Williams to hit restricted free agency and allows the market to dictate his worth.