The Boston Celtics reportedly had interest in reuniting with Robert Williams III in free agency to address their center concerns, but that now seems to officially be off the table.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, "Time Lord" is re-signing with the Portland Trail Blazers on a three-year, $44 million contract. And it's pretty unfortunate from Boston's perspective.
Williams' biggest concern is his health. He has played 60 or more games in a season just once (61 games in 2021-22 - he did play in 59 this past season), but when he's available, he can be a legitimate game-changer on the defensive side of the ball.
He is a strong rim protector who is mobile and switchable, and he's also a solid rebounder, an underrated passer/playmaker, and maybe becoming a stretch big (he shot a career-best 9-for-23 - 39.1% - from deep last season)? Plus, he has experience in Boston, playing a big role in the team's 2022 finals run.
Williams would have been a good signing for a Celtics team in desperate need of big-man defense. But now, they're going to have to look elsewhere if they're still interested in upgrading their center position.
Celtics don't have many avenues to upgrade at center
Neemias Queta was as good as the Celtics could have hoped for last season, but it's also obvious he's not good enough to start on a championship-caliber team.
Boston needs to find a center upgrade if it wants to re-enter the title picture next season, but it may be running out of options.
The Celtics drafted Chris Cenac Jr. in the first round, but he's not going to be a starter right away. This free agency class already looked a little bleak at center, and that's only gotten worse after Williams, Kristaps Porzingis, and Isaiah Hartenstein re-signed with their respective teams. And, barring a big trade (i.e., a Jaylen Brown trade), they're not going to find a major center upgrade in that market either.
At this point, it wouldn't be too shocking if Boston just opts to give Queta another year to develop and build on what he started last year. It's not ideal, but it might be the team's best option. Plus, while he struggled in the playoffs, the Portuguese native was more than solid in the regular season (10.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.3 BPG, 65.3% in his first season as a full-time starter).
Maybe he does deserve another season. After all, it's not like the Celtics have much of a choice.
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