Tag: 2023 NBA free agency

Celtics reportedly want a first-round pick for Grant Williams sign-and-trade

The “Atlanta (Hawks), Charlotte (Hornets), Dallas (Mavericks), New York (Knicks) and Washington (Wizards) are all still in the mix,” writes Weiss.

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The Boston Celtics are looking for a significant return for restricted free agent Grant Williams if the former Tennessee standout and Boston part ways in free agency.

“Though most of the league’s cap space has dried up at this point, the expectation with Williams has always been that a sign-and-trade or midlevel exception (MLE) would be the likely outcome,” The Athletic NBA insider Jared Weiss reports.

The “Atlanta (Hawks), Charlotte (Hornets), Dallas (Mavericks), New York (Knicks) and Washington (Wizards) are still in the mix,” wrote Weiss, noting Williams will have to wait until July 6 to sign an offer sheet anywhere.

“Boston has been seeking a first-round pick in return for Williams,” Weiss noted. “(Once) Williams’ situation is resolved, the Celtics will have a clearer picture of how they can build for the future around Brown’s extension.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Report: Boston’s fragile deal with Jaylen Brown may await Malcolm Brogdon, Grant Williams resolutions

The delay on Jaylen Brown’s supermax may be tied to other loose ends Boston has pending, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

The Boston Celtics still have business left to conduct, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on a recent episode of “SportsCenter.”

Windhorst reported 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon “may still end up being on the market” but the potential supermax extension for star forward Jaylen Brown needs to be resolved

Describing it as a fragile deal given the potential for negotiations over whether Brown will get the full 35% of the cap in the extension, Windhorst suggests “there’s interest on both sides to get something done,” but such a move would prevent the Georgia native from being traded for a year.

“The Celtics probably want to make sure all their business is locked down before going into this (supermax extension),” he added, suggesting the Brogdon and (Grant) Williams situations may need to be resolved before Brown’s will be, as will the specific terms of a potential deal itself.

“It’s not as simple to say, ‘Jaylen — here’s your contract, sign it or not,” Windhorst explained. “There are aspects within the deal to negotiate; until it’s done, it’s not done.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics restricted free agent Grant Williams hosts a basketball camp at Boston University

Every participant went home with a team photo and a t-shirt as a souvenir.

Boston Celtics restricted free agent forward Grant Williams hosted a youth basketball clinic at Boston University this week, providing instruction and feedback in the sport that made him famous to local first through eighth graders. Participants learned the fundamentals of the game and received hands-on instruction from the former Tennessee standout and the staff at the B.U. camp.

Every participant went home with a team photo and a T-shirt as a souvenir, and the clinic focused on teaching principles in basketball and in life. Williams aimed to inspire participants to become better individuals and basketball players and help them develop on and off the court.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to get a look at the camp and Williams working at it for yourself courtesy of the folks behind the CBS Boston official YouTube channel.

Williams, unsurprisingly, had little to say about his free agency.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Shams: Boston Celtics to sign point guard Dalano Banton to two-year deal

The Boston Celtics’ roster for their 2023-24 campaign just took another step in the direction of completion.

The Boston Celtics‘ roster for their 2023-24 campaign took another step closer to completion based on new reporting from The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Per The Athletic reporter, “(f)ree agent point guard Dalano Banton has agreed to a two-year contract with the … Celtics.”

Banton had been tied to Boston at the start of the NBA’s 2023 free agency period. The move perhaps signals a direction the Celtics are taking in terms of team building. The move to sign the former Toronto Raptors reserve point guard is perhaps most notable due to Banton’s size (6 feet, 9 inches).

The Canadian floor general has not put it together at the NBA level, averaging 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game with the Raptors last season while shooting 42.3% overall, 29.4% from 3 and 70.8% from the line.

Per the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, the second year on the deal is a team option and will be for the veteran’s minimum according to MassLive’s Brian Robb.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Stein: Celtics ‘sending behind-the-scenes signals’ they intend to keep Grant Williams

It remains unclear how Boston hopes this scenario will end.

The Boston Celtics have reportedly been giving off signals they intend to keep restricted free agent Grant Williams around if possible according to new reporting from Substack’s Marc Stein. Per Stein, the “Celtics have been sending behind-the-scenes signals to interested teams that they intend to match any offer sheet for … Williams“.

“How binding, however, are such whispered claims?” asks the Substack reporter rhetorically. “The wait to find out how prepared … Boston (is) to stick to those stances is ticking down” in light of the fact that the Celtics — at least as currently constructed — would make themselves a second apron team with all the restrictions that new status would entail with the arrival of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement in force as of July 1.

“In Boston’s case, matching a theoretical offer from the Mavericks or any other team constructed with their $12.4 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception would push the Celtics more than $20 million beyond the tax line for the upcoming season,” notes Stein, squarely into second apron territory.

A deal to cut salary elsewhere would of course be on the table, but apart from reviving the notion of a Malcolm Brogdon deal bringing back a cheaper ball handler, it remains unclear how Boston hopes this scenario will end.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Reacting to the Boston Celtics signing Oshae Brissett

Who is Brissett as a player and as a person? What does he bring to the team on both ends of the court? And how will he be used by the Celtics in their 2023-24 campaign?

The Boston Celtics‘ first big move of the NBA’s 2023 free agency period was to sign unrestricted free agent Oshea Brissett to a two-year, veteran minimum deal with a player option on the contract’s second season. Who is Brissett as a player and as a person? What does he bring to the team on both ends of the court? And how will he be used by the Celtics in their 2023-24 campaign?

CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning reacted to the breaking news regarding Oshae Brissett signing a two-year deal with the Celtics as it happened. Brissett is a 25-year-old Canadian wing, who played on the Indiana Pacers last season averaging 6.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in just 16.7 minutes per game, hinting that he might be able to take on a bigger role.

Manning discussed Brissett’s potential role with the Celtics, highlighted his athletic and versatile style of play, and examined the strategic implications of the player option in the second year of the contract.

Check out the clip embedded above to get up to speed on Boston’s newest player.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Charlotte Hornets strongly considering making an offer for Celtics forward

According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Charlotte Hornets could emerge as a contender to acquire Grant Williams in free agency.

Grant Williams is a restricted free agent this offseason after he and the Boston Celtics failed to reach an agreement for a contract extension last summer. Even though Williams has developed a reputation as one of the best young 3-and-D wings in the NBA, Boston’s cap situation is precarious after it acquired Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team deal.

As such, Williams could potentially find himself fielding contract offers that Boston will not be willing to match. Should Williams accept a deal from elsewhere, the Celtics would be losing a homegrown talent, with nothing coming back in return. Such is the risk of free agency.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Charlotte Hornets could become a threat to pry Williams away from the Celtics this summer.

Last season, Williams shot 43% from the corner 3 and 38% from everywhere else around the perimeter. Williams has proven himself capable of guarding multiple positions across the court, including some impressive performances against some of the best centers in the NBA.

During the playoffs, Williams also displayed a competitive edge that will endear him to coaches and front offices around the NBA. For his part, Williams appears to be approaching a potential change of scenery with professionalism and a zen-like mentality.

“No matter what comes of it, no matter what happens, you want to make sure you’re leaving a place with a good heart and good mind,” Williams told CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning on July 1. “I feel like I’ve done my best here (in Boston), trying to be not only a good person, but a good teammate. That’s just how you have to carry yourself wherever you are.”

If given the choice, Boston would likely want to keep Williams around, however, his growth throughout the duration of his rookie contract likely means he will get an offer that the Celtics can’t match. Unfortunately, the Celtics have other contracts to keep in mind, specifically a supermax extension for Jaylen Brown. Williams could be a casualty of his own success, at least in Boston.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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No Jaylen Brown supermax extension? No problem (we hope!)

The Boston Celtics and Brown are reportedly confident they can get a deal done.

If you woke up today expecting to see the Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown having already agreed to a supermax extension worth close to $300 million, do not panic! Or at least that is the intel we are getting from reporting by the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, who writes that “both sides remain confident that one can be struck soon.”

The $295 million extension would be the league’s biggest contract signed to date and the finer-grained details of it will have a commensurate impact on the team and Brown both, so the fact that the pair are taking care with exactly how it is to take shape should not surprise. If it lingers deeper into the offseason, cause for alarm might be warranted.

But for now at least, while there may not be the news Celtics fans were hoping to wake up to ready to read, they ought to feel good about it getting done based on what we have heard so far.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Could a Grant Williams return to the Boston Celtics be market-dependant?

“If the market for Williams dries up, his return to Boston would become increasingly likely,” reports the Boston Globe.

While it goes without saying that there needs to be a ball club willing to offer a player money in order to get a deal done, in the case of Boston Celtics’ restricted free agent Grant Williams, a return to the team that drafted him may hinge on whether there is a market for the Tennessee alum in the wake of some serious spending on forwards in free agency.

“If the market for Williams dries up, his return to Boston would become increasingly likely,” reports the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, “especially after president of basketball operations Brad Stevens on Thursday stressed that ownership had given him the ‘green light’ to keep building a championship-level roster, regardless of luxury tax implications.”

That would likely still be with a payroll beneath the punitive second apron introduced in the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that takes effect today, but with competing ball clubs having splurged on depth at the 3 and 4, it seems more possible that yesterday a Williams return to Boston is on the table.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Grant Williams not stressing slow start to free agency

The Charlotte native seemed more than content to let the process play out.

With the first hours of the NBA’s 2023 free agency period behind us and the available pool of spending power drying up by the minute, one might think that Boston Celtics restricted free agent Grant Williams might be getting a little nervous about his future.

But the Charlotte native seemed more than content to let the process play out in a recent interview held after hosting a youth basketball camp in Boston, instead talking about how he finds joy in spending time with children and sees it as an opportunity to take a break from stress. That doesn’t mean free agency is far from his mind (particularly as a Players’ Union vice president), with Williams also touching on the challenges of negotiating contracts and the importance of maintaining competitive balance in the NBA.

To hear more about what the Tennessee alum had to say about free agency, the offseason, his camp, and more, take a look a the clip embedded below courtesy of the folks at CLNS Media.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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