Report: Celtics set high asking price for potential Grant Williams trade

May 15, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams (12) has a laugh as he warms-up before game seven of the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics appear ready to move on from forward Grant Williams, but that does not mean that he will be easy to acquire.

Williams is set to become a restricted free agent on Thursday, and the expectation is that the Celtics will look for a sign-and-trade deal. However, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, the team wants a first-round pick for Williams in any deal.

Just because the Celtics want a first-round pick does not mean they’ll get one. Any interested team will be able to sign Williams to an offer sheet, at which point the Celtics have to either match or let him go. That could certainly negatively impact their leverage depending on what kind of contract offer Williams might attract, especially since the Celtics presumably want to get to work on the business of a potential Jaylen Brown contract extension.

Boston’s addition of one player likely makes Williams expendable. The 24-year-old has been a solid rotation piece for the Celtics, averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, but that might not be enough to tempt teams, especially rebuilding ones, to part with a first-rounder to get him.