Unreatful decision. The all-time player for Maverick has declined the Boston Celtics request
In their home game against the Texan ball club this past Friday night, the Boston Celtics withstood the Dallas Mavericks’ best punch in the first half before methodically shutting them down on the perimeter in the second.
Throughout the game, Boston held Dallas to just 26.5% from beyond the arc. Boston took the lead late in the third quarter and never looked back. In the 138-110 rout, three of the starting Celtics players scored at least 20 points, and seven Boston players finished with double digits in points. That’s no small accomplishment against a team that had an 8-2 record in their prior 10 games in a loaded Western Conference.
Following the victory, the host of CLNS Media’s “How Bout podcast, “Them Celtics!” commented on the resounding win.
“I felt like I had done enough to maintain the conversation that I had the year prior,” Williams stated to Weiss. “I played well enough to be like, ‘He’s worth this amount, but could be worth more if he was unrestricted.'”
Four years and $54 million proved to be too much for the Celtics to spend on the seventh or eighth player in their rotation, particularly considering that Kristaps Porzingis, who is currently on the team and will be making $36 million in 2023–24, plays a similar position. It appears that all sides benefited from this arrangement: Williams received his compensation, the Celtics kept their financial flexibility, and the opportunity to make a future move was gained by establishing a $6.2 million traded player exception (TPE).
“I am aware of how the figures Williams continued, “work out and yeah, the Celtics could have afforded to keep me.” But after the previous year, I didn’t think it was realistic—it’s one of those things where you really have to commit.
Hey, Boston was attempting to hold onto their power. It’s one of those situations where you can’t really blame them because, in a way, it indicates that they want you there.”
