Grant Williams Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Explore Trading Al Horford

January 19th, 2022 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics are exploring the idea of moving Al Horford, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, who says the team is in the market for another center at this year’s trade deadline.

Horford’s trade value will likely be limited. The 35-year-old has been Boston’s starting center this season and is averaging 10.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 3.6 APG in 36 games (29.0 MPG), but his .442 FG% is a career low and his 3PT% (.285) has dropped significantly. He’s also earning $27MM, a cap figure that won’t be palatable for some clubs.

As Weiss observes, Horford’s $26.5MM salary for 2022/23 is only partially guaranteed (for $14.5MM), which could appeal to teams looking to move a longer-term contract. Still, it’s hard to imagine Boston getting positive value for the veteran big man.

According to Weiss, the Celtics have been “surprisingly open” to discussing both Horford and Josh Richardson, both of whom were acquired during the 2021 offseason. Dennis Schröder, another offseason addition, has also been repeatedly mentioned as a trade candidate, and Weiss confirms that league sources consider the point guard to be available.

The Celtics are believed to be seeking another impact play-maker to complement Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, says Weiss. However, it may be a challenge to put together a package for such a player without relying heavily on draft assets. Due to their uneven development, former lottery picks like Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith don’t have as much trade value as they would have earlier in their careers.

At 23-22, the Celtics are currently the No. 10 seed in the East, hanging onto a play-in spot. Although they’ll likely approach the trade deadline as buyers, it remains to be seen whether the C’s are capable of making any noise in the playoffs. Weiss says multiple people in the locker room have suggested there’s a “lack of desperation” present, with attempts at vocal leadership from players like Brown, Marcus Smart, and Grant Williams sometimes being tuned out.

COVID-19 Updates: Wizards, Billups, Thunder, Hornets, Raptors, More

December 27th, 2021 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards now have five players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to head coach Wes Unseld Jr., who told reporters today that Anthony Gill and Thomas Bryant are the latest players to enter the protocols (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington).

Bryant is coming off an ACL tear and has yet to play this season, so being in the protocols won’t affect his availability. However, Gill will no longer be an option in the short term for the Wizards after appearing in eight of the team’s last 11 games.

Here are more COVID-19 updates from around the NBA:

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has entered the COVID-19 protocols, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links), who reports that assistant Scott Brooks is expected to become Portland’s acting head coach as long as Billups is unavailable.
Aleksej Pokusevski and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl of the Thunder have entered the health and safety protocols, according to the team (Twitter link via Wojnarowski). Aaron Wiggins also briefly entered the protocols, but has since been listed as available, tweets Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City now has four players in the protocols.
The Hornets announced some good news and some bad news on Monday. While Cody Martin has exited the protocols and has been cleared to play on Monday vs. Houston, rookie Scottie Lewis is now in the protocols, according to the team (Twitter link).
Three Raptors players – Pascal Siakam, Khem Birch, and Gary Trent Jr. – have exited the protocols and are listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Philadelphia as they go through a reconditioning period, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Toronto still has seven players in the protocols, but may finally be trending in the right direction.
Celtics forward Grant Williams boarded a flight to Minnesota earlier today and expects to play tonight vs. the Wolves, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link). Williams has been in the health and safety protocols since December 17.
Although Ziaire Williams remains on the shelf due to an ankle sprain, he’s no longer listed in the protocols in the Grizzlies‘ latest injury report, suggesting he has been cleared.

Warriors’ Poole, Two Celtics Enter Health And Safety Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors guard Jordan Poole is among the latest players to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Celtics forward Grant Williams and one other Boston player have also been placed in the protocols. Shams Charania of The Athletic says (via Twitter) the second Celtic is Al Horford.

If Poole, Williams, and Horford have tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll be sidelined for at least 10 days or until they return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

The Warriors hadn’t had any players in the health and safety protocols prior to today’s update on Poole, but they faced the Knicks on Tuesday. New York has been experiencing a minor COVID-19 outbreak and placed Kevin Knox in the protocols on Thursday after he logged 20 minutes vs. Golden State.

The Celtics, meanwhile, put Jabari Parker in the protocols on Thursday, so they now have three players affected.

The Warriors and Celtics are scheduled to play on Friday night in Boston, so they’ll likely test and retest all their players today to make sure there are no more positives before they tip off.

Celtics Pick Up Options On Grant Williams, Romeo Langford

November 1st, 2021 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have picked up a pair of team options for 2022/23, according to a series of reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic, Jordan Schultz of the Pull Up Podcast, and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (all Twitter links).

Boston exercised its fourth-year option on forward Grant Williams, per Charania and Schultz, as well as its fourth-year option on guard Romeo Langford, per Wojnarowski. Williams is now guaranteed his $4,306,281 salary for the 2022/23 season, while Langford will earn $5,634,257.

Williams, the 22nd overall pick in 2019, has taken on a bigger role for Boston in the early part of this season. He has started two of six games for the team so far and is averaging 9.8 PPG in 22.8 MPG, both career highs. His shooting line so far is a scorching .576/.500/.917.

Langford’s time in Boston since he was selected 14th overall in the 2019 draft has been marred by injuries. The 22-year-old has appeared in just 53 career games, including three of six so far this season, but the Celtics remain high on his potential. He has played a rotation role when healthy this season, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 18.7 MPG.

The Celtics also have to officially make decisions on 2022/23 options for Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard by the end of the day. Both are good bets to have their options picked up.

CJ McCollum Elected New NBPA President

August 7th, 2021 at 5:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

CJ McCollum is the new president of the National Basketball Players Association, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Trail Blazers guard replaces Chris Paul, who served two consecutive terms totaling eight years.

McCollum, 29, has served as a vice president on the union’s executive committee for the past three years and has been a strong voice in NBPA decisions as well as negotiations with the NBA, Woj adds.

Grant Williams was elected as vice president, the league announced (via Twitter). Other members of the executive committee will be Andre Iguodala (first vice president), Harrison Barnes (secretary-treasurer) and vice presidents Bismack Biyombo, Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving and Garrett Temple (Twitter link).

“Since entering the league, I have wanted to be involved in the and contribute to the important decisions that impact our lives as players both on and off the court,” Williams tweeted. “I am honored to be selected by my peers for this position and excited to join the NBPA Executive Committee.”

One of the union’s first priorities under McCollum will be to find a replacement for Michele Roberts, who has served as executive director since 2014. She has announced her intentions to step down and is expected to leave her post sometime around the end of the year.

McCollum will also have to take the lead in negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Wojnarowski points out. The current CBA runs through the end of the 2023/24 season, but either the league or the players could decide to opt out after the 2022/23 season ends.

Celtics Rumors: Gordon, Nesmith, Smart, Langford, More

March 25th, 2021 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics and Nuggets continue to lead the Aaron Gordon sweepstakes, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, who reports that the Magic forward would welcome the opportunity to play for either team, or for the Trail Blazers.

While one Wednesday report suggested that Denver had taken the lead as the frontrunner to land Gordon, the Celtics continue to pursue the veteran forward, with John Collins and Harrison Barnes looking to be increasingly less likely targets, Weiss writes.

Weiss suggests that the Timberwolves appear to be falling back in the race to land Gordon, but all indications are that the Magic will continue talks right up until the deadline.

According to Weiss, the Celtics’ desire package for Gordon would be Aaron Nesmith and a first-round pick, giving Orlando the opportunity to create a sizeable traded player exception. However, the team will likely need to up that offer, either by including another first-rounder or by expanding the trade to include Marcus Smart and Evan Fournier.

Here’s more from Weiss on the Celtics:

While Romeo Langford was mentioned on Wednesday along with Nesmith as a candidate to be an outgoing piece in a Gordon trade, Weiss says the former Hoosiers guard doesn’t have much value due to his injury history and the fact that he was already a “polarizing” prospect entering the 2019 draft. As such, it doesn’t make much sense for the Celtics to sell low on him. Nesmith has more trade value, as Weiss notes.
Grant Williams and Semi Ojeleye haven’t been included in any trade packages that have “advanced to a serious stage,” sources tell Weiss.
One league source speculated to Weiss that there’s a chance the Celtics could do something more complex involving Gordon, like sending Smart to Orlando and trading draft capital to New Orleans for Lonzo Ball. However, that sounds like a longer shot.
Tristan Thompson has been frequently mentioned as a trade candidate, and there’s been some frustration that his on-court impact has been modest, per Weiss. However, Thompson is close with Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker, and even if there’s been some frustration with his production, it hasn’t become “animosity” by any means.

Atlantic Notes: Rose, Durant, Curry, Williams

February 8th, 2021 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Derrick Rose, officially acquired from Detroit by the Knicks on Monday, is eager for his second stint in the Big Apple, Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. Rose posted his sentiments on his Instagram account. “Other hoopers always used to tell me that if I ever had the chance to play in the MECCA go for it,” Rose wrote. “I’m getting a second chance. … Got to make this one count. But I’m built for it.” Rose played in New York during the 2016/17 season but the previous regime opted not to re-sign him. The former MVP, who is on an expiring contract, was averaging 14.2 PPG and 4.2 APG as Detroit’s sixth man this season.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Kevin Durant isn’t expected to be available until late this week due to contact tracing but Nets coach Steve Nash said lightheartedly that his superstar forward hasn’t registered any positive coronavirus tests, Malika Andrews of ESPN tweets. “He’s taken about 90 negative tests,” Nash said. Kyrie Irving, who missed the loss to Philadelphia with a sprained right finger, is expected to play against Detroit on Tuesday, Andrews adds.
Seth Curry was encouraged by his 11-point performance against Brooklyn on Saturday, Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Curry, who missed approximately two weeks last month due to a bout with COVID-19, went scoreless in the Sixers’ previous two games. “I felt a little bit better all night, even in the first half, when I wasn’t making shots, I felt better than I have in the past week or two,” Curry said. “I think the key for me (Saturday) was I was able to get a little of my burst back and have more energy out on the floor offensively and defensively.”
Grant Williams‘ improved 3-point shooting this season is largely due to better footwork, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. The Celtics forward has made 46.7% of his attempts this season after knocking down just 25% of his long-range shots in his rookie campaign.

Robert Williams Tests Positive For COVID-19; Two Other Celtics Out For Contact Tracing

January 8th, 2021 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

Robert Williams has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), who hears from a source that the Celtics big man has been asymptomatic since testing positive.

Williams is the only Celtics player to have tested positive, per Himmelsbach, and will be required to quarantine until he returns multiple negative tests and is medically cleared. However, two other Boston big men will be required to self-isolate for the next week, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who tweets that Tristan Thompson and Grant Williams face a minimum quarantine period of seven days.

Carsen Edwards, who was initially listed as questionable for Friday’s game vs. Washington due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, won’t be required to quarantine for contact tracing purposes and will be available, Charania notes.

While Edwards’ availability will help a little, the Celtics will still find themselves extremely shorthanded in the frontcourt in the short term. The team figures to lean heavily on Daniel Theis and Semi Ojeleye, with two-way player Tacko Fall potentially entering the mix as well. Brad Stevens also figures to use more small-ball lineups, with wings like Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown playing the four.

Four Celtics Questionable Due To Health And Safety Protocols

January 7th, 2021 at 5:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Because of the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Celtics players Grant Williams, Robert Williams, Tristan Thompson and Carsen Edwards have been listed as “questionable” for Boston’s bout against the Wizards tomorrow, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (via Twitter).

At present, the Celtics and the NBA have yet to provide further details on the nature of the players’ potential lack of availability.

Bontemps speculates that these four Celtics could be part of the league contact tracing program, in which case they would have been exposed to someone who later tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Alternately, one or more of these players could also have recorded a positive or inconclusive coronavirus test result.

Thompson has thus far been the club’s starting power forward in an ultra-big front court alongside incumbent center Daniel Theis. Reserve center Robert Williams (16.4 MPG) and backup power forward Grant Williams (19.1 MPG) have represented integral parts of Boston’s big man rotation thus far. Head coach Brad Stevens may have to get creative with his roster, employing forward Jayson Tatum more at the power forward slot and leaning more on 6’6″ power forward Semi Ojeleye.

5’11” shooting guard Edwards has been a less-critical component of the Celtics’ backcourt rotation, averaging just 7.3 MPG in four of nine contests. That said, with starting point guard Kemba Walker still inactive, backup Jeff Teague day-to-day, and reserve wings Romeo Langford and Javonte Green also absent, the Celtics need all the bodies they can get.

Celtics Picking Up 2021/22 Options On Three Players

December 29th, 2020 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics are exercising their 2021/22 team options on the rookie scale contracts of Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams, according to former C’s assistant GM Ryan McDonough (Twitter link).

Langford, 21, was the 14th overall pick in the 2019 draft, but has been limited to 32 games so far due to health issues and has struggled in his limited playing time, with 2.5 PPG on .350/.185/.720 shooting in 11.6 minutes per contest. He’s currently sidelined as he recovers from wrist surgery.

Grant Williams, who was selected eight spots after Langford in the 2019 draft, has been a more regular part of Boston’s rotation since entering the league last year, averaging 3.5 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 72 games (15.3 MPG).

Langford’s and Williams’ third-year options will pay them $3.8MM and $2.6MM, respectively, in 2021/22. The Celtics will have to decide next year whether to pick up their fourth-year options for ’22/23.

As for Robert Williams, his fourth-year option for ’21/22 will guarantee him approximately $3.7MM and will put him on track for restricted free agency in ’22 if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension next summer.

The 23-year-old has appeared in just 63 games for the Celtics in two-plus seasons so far, but has shown some promise. He had one of the best performances of his career on Sunday vs. Indiana, putting up 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting to go along with four rebounds, four steals, and two blocks in 22 minutes.