The Indiana Pacers have been exceeding expectations early in the season with an 8-6 win-loss card, good for fifth in the Eastern Conference. Still, with the teams behind them in the standings likely to improve over the course of the season, the team could still easily miss the postseason.
If so, then roster construction could be to blame. The Pacers have shown a lot of encouraging signs as a collective, spearheaded by the tremendous jumps of Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin, among others, but their assemblage of players is far from perfect. With an obvious hole in the forward position, Indiana would really benefit from having a legitimate forward in the near future.
Fortunately, the Pacers have the ammo to chase some good-quality forwards in the offseason. However, one of those potential free-agent targets could prove to be too pricey for the team, especially in light of the recent intel surrounding him.
This upcoming free agent could prove to be too pricey for the Indiana Pacers
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, in his latest wave of NBA-related news, suggested that Grant Williams and the Boston Celtics could be far away from any convincing extension talks.
"During extension talks with Grant Williams, the Celtics never offered more than $50 million guaranteed over four years, league sources told HoopsHype. Williams would’ve taken a deal for $14 million annually. There are some around the league that believe an offer around $18 million annually could be too much for Boston to match in restricted free agency. Of course, anything in the non-taxpayer mid-level exception range would likely be matched by Boston."
Williams has surged as one of the most pivotal players on the Eastern Conference-leading and last year’s runners-up Boston Celtics. The burly forward’s defensive acumen, his heavily improved three-point shot (40.9 percent since 2020), and general positional malleability have all been integral to his team’s ability to shapeshift against any team on a nightly basis.
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For those reasons, it’s easy to see why he would be a perfect fit on the Pacers roster, which is evidently lacking in size in the forward positions. After all, Williams can play all three frontcourt positions without any compromise whatsoever.
However, a price of $14-18 million annually for someone who’s a definitive role player, while far from a debilitating overpay, could be particularly too expensive for Indiana, especially with the team gearing up for a surefire expensive Haliburton extension and a potential re-upping with Myles Turner.
The Indiana Pacers could still free up some money, especially before the trade deadline. If so, then going after Williams would be pretty smart as long as his price range remains as is.