According to Heavy’s Adam Taylor, the Boston Celtics would likely match an offer sheet worth the mid-level exception ($12.4 million) for restricted free agent Grant Williams, and the organization would do so “in a heartbeat.”
The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach called a return to the Celtics for the four-year veteran “unlikely” this offseason, while HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto says that the Charlotte Hornets are assessing their choices between Williams and incumbent big P.J. Washington.
“The Hornets are considering an offer sheet to Celtics restricted free agent Grant Williams, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote. “Amid Charlotte’s interest in Williams, the Hornets are also in discussions with restricted free agent PJ Washington on a possible deal. Washington has drawn interest from several other teams on the market, and Rui Hachimura’s three-year, $51 million deal with the Lakers could be a potential ballpark figure for Washington’s next contract.”
MLE offer sheet for Grant Williams isn’t worth the trouble because the Boston Celtics are likely to match.
According to CBS Sports’ James Herbert, extending an offer sheet to Williams by the Hornets or another reputed suitor like the Dallas Mavericks would be “not worth the hassle” for either team owing to the likelihood of the Boston Celtics matching it in restricted free agency.
“Both teams could use the non-taxpayer midlevel, but, given the threat of Boston matching, that kind of offer sheet might not be worth the hassle,” Herbert said before adding, “For Charlotte to go higher than that, it would have to renounce its cap holds for the players who are next on this list.”
FWIW Celtics would likely match a full MLE offer without blinking. https://t.co/YwOom2LP57
— Adam Taylor (@AdamTaylorNBA) July 2, 2023
If No. 12 signs an offer sheet that breaks Boston’s bank, he might be replaced in the Celtics’ rotation this coming season by the team’s first free agent signing, Oshae Brissett. The Hornets just signed LaMelo Ball to a five-year, $260 million contract, so it’s easy to envision them being proactive in trying to surround their new supermax star with a better supporting cast.
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