Does a Boston Celtics Reunion with Robert Williams III Make Sense?

If there's one thing Boston Celtics fans love more than anything, it’s contemplating reunions with former players. Anfernee Simons had a nice stint with Boston last season and now there are a fair amount of people pushing to get him back. The Celtics struggled with Joel Embiid as they collapsed in the playoffs, which means people are lighting up the Bat Signal for Al Horford. And now that he’s a free agent, there are growing calls for Robert Williams III to come back to Boston and fill the need for a center. 

It makes sense to some degree. When he’s healthy, Williams is a dynamic player on both ends of the floor. He’s still bouncy, even after all his knee issues, so he’ll make exciting plays catching lobs and blocking shots. He’s still a very good playmaker, which would give Boston another hub through whom plays could flow to get Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown more shots off the catch. He also shot 9-23 from three this season (39%), adding a little element to his game that could be attractive. 

And beyond all that, he’s fun. He’s a good vibes guy who is always a good quote, so it would make for some fun stories on a team full of pretty buttoned-up players. 

The issue, predictably, is his injury history. The most regular season games he’s ever played is 61, a number he almost matched this past season (59). Sandwiched in between those were seasons of 35, 6, and 20 games. The Celtics know his injury history and medicals better than anyone outside of Portland at this point, so their pursuit of him, or lack thereof, will be very telling.

The problem for the Celtics is that they're not really in position to take flyers on players right now. They are about $10 million shy of the tax line, and they’ll need to move at least Sam Hauer’s nearly $11 million to get the kind of financial wiggle room they need to add an impact player. If they add a $15 million mid-level player, they would fall about $6 million short of the tax line, leaving them limited options to fill a need.

Which brings us to a question of cost. There are teams who might be willing to spend the $6 million taxpayer mid-level on Williams, which could be too rich for the Celtics. Williams turns 29 in October, so he’s young enough to command more than a minimum salary. However, a minimum might be all Boston can realistically spend on a player whose availability is typically spotty. People may say Williams’ potential makes him worth the risk, but with limited resources to add to the team, the player the Celtics acquire to fill that position has to be somewhat reliable. 

In some ways, the Celtics could be faced with adding someone who isn’t impactful in the playoffs. The question is whether to go for a better player who is a risk to not be available, or whether it’s better to go for someone durable but more limited, like Luka Garza?

If there's a way for the Celtics to build a roster they're comfortable with and THEN add Williams as a luxury, then that would be a good compromise. But that's what I see Williams as. The Celtics might not have a ton of great options for adding a center on this market, but whoever they add has to be counted on to play. I just can’t get there with Williams.