Celtics Rumors: Grant Williams Expected to Seek $20M Annual Salary in FA Contract
Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams is reportedly expected to ask for a hefty salary when he hits restricted free agency this offseason.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Williams is believed to be seeking somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million per year. Stein compared Williams' potential contract to the one signed by San Antonio Spurs wing Keldon Johnson in July, which will pay him $74 million over four years.
Per Stein, numerous NBA teams are "monitoring" Williams' situation in Boston and are "curious" about his future with the organization.
While Williams had been the subject of trade rumors leading up to last week's NBA trade deadline, the Celtics decided to keep him, which wasn't particularly surprising since they are one of the league's top contenders.
In fact, at 41-16, Boston has the best record in the NBA this season. The only other team with at least 40 wins is the Denver Nuggets, who are 40-18.
Much of the credit for Boston's success tends to go to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, but Williams has been a key contributor this season as well.
Despite primarily coming off the bench, with just 20 starts out of the 56 games he has played in, Williams is fifth on the team in minutes per game at 27.6.
He also has career-high averages of 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 three-pointers made per game this season, while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from beyond the arc.
The 24-year-old forward was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Tennessee, and he has proved himself worthy of that billing in four seasons since then.
Given the wide array of talent the Celtics have boasted during Williams' young career, he has not put up overly impressive numbers, but he would likely see a huge uptick in production within a bigger role elsewhere.
Williams' efficiency is impressive, especially when it comes to three-point shooting, as he has made over 40 percent of his long-range shots in each of the past two campaigns.
For now, Williams will continue to be a key role player in Boston, and if the Celtics are able to go all the way and win their first championship since 2008, he will likely have a significant hand in it.
However, since the Celtics are slated to pay Tatum, Brown, Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White a combined $122 million next season, keeping Williams at a $20 million salary may not be feasible.
