The Portland Trail Blazers could be back in business with the Boston Celtics on the trade market this season.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes recently suggested that Boston could be calling Portland about re-acquiring Robert Williams III.
"Reunion, anyone?" Hughes said.
"Williams was his best self with the 2021-22 Celtics, earning an All-Defensive second-team nod and finishing among the top 10 in Most Improved Player voting."
"He's been hurt on and off ever since, makes a tricky $13.9 million for the second-aproned Celtics and should be in demand as a trade chip for several other teams. But Boston's center rotation feels fragile, and Williams was once viewed as a key piece of the team."
Portland has its center of the future in Deandre Ayton, and the Blazers just drafted Donovan Clingan. This could make Williams III expendable.
Brad Stevens has a history of bringing back big guys after they leave Boston. Stevens re-acquired Daniel Theis in 2022 after trading him to the Chicago Bulls the year prior.
Stevens also traded for Al Horford in 2021 following a period of Horford playing for the Philadelphia 76ers (2019-20) and Oklahoma City Thunder (2020-21). Horford wasn’t retained in free agency by former Celtics GM Danny Ainge during the summer of 2019.
Will Williams III be the next big guy that Stevens brings back? Williams’s injuries always make him a risky investment. If Boston’s bigs (Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta) are healthy heading into February, it’s unlikely that Stevens will feel he needs to make a bold move for Williams.
Given Horford’s age and Porzingis’s own injury history, however, anything could happen.
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