Grant Williams knows Celtics could've afforded to re-sign him

The Boston Celtics went to great lengths to land Kristaps Porzingis. Giving up Marcus Smart could be a massive blow for them, as he was one of their leaders and one of the best defenders in the NBA.

Now, they lost another key locker room piece in Grant Williams, one of their most versatile role players and a guy who could guard and play multiple positions and knock down shots from deep.

Williams will have a bigger role now next to Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and the Dallas Mavericks. But he also knows that the Celtics could’ve afford to keep him if that’s what they wanted.

Grant Williams Discusses Boston Exit

“I had an understanding of that most of the way. I know how the numbers work out and yeah, they could have afforded to keep me,” Williams told The Athletic. “But it’s one of those things where you’re really committing and after the prior year, I didn’t think it was realistic.”

“Hey, Boston was trying to maintain their leverage,” he continued. “It’s one of those where you can’t be mad at them for it because it just shows they want you to be there in a way.”

see also

Patrick Beverley reveals why he snubbed the Boston Celtics in free agency

At the end of the day, the Celtics don’t look like a much better team at this moment, and that won’t change unless they add some depth and strong characters to that locker room.