Eddie House and Chris Mannix argue that it might be better for Brad Stevens and the Celtics to hold out until the trade deadline and hope that their role players can carry over their performance into the postseason.
It’s possible that Robert Williams will only play six games for the Portland Trail Blazers.
In an interview with Marc Stein on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast on Monday, Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes stated that the Blazers are anticipated to be “very open” to selling their ailing big man before the NBA trade deadline.
There is no disputing that. Haynes stated of the Blazers, “They will be open if they get the right deal in place. “… Robert Williams is somebody that is definitely available.”
On October 1, the Boston Celtics traded point player Jrue Holiday—who was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the Damian Lillard trade—for Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, and two first-round picks to the Portland Trail Blazers. Before sustaining a knee injury that necessitated season-ending surgery, Williams played in just six games for Portland this season. If he can stay healthy, though, teams may be interested in signing him.
“Teams feel like he would be somebody that could get on the cheap right now and allow him to continue recovering, continue rehabbing in hopes that he can blossom back into the Robert Williams that we’ve seen when he was playing at a high level with the Boston Celtics,” Haynes stated.
When healthy, Williams is a potent two-way player. During the 2021–22 season, he averaged 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. As the starting center for the Celtics, he had excellent rim protection and rim-running skills, which helped the team reach the NBA Finals. Additionally, he has a team-friendly four-year, $48 million contract that expires in 2026.
However, gaining Time Lord would involve a significant risk to his health for any team. In his six NBA seasons, Williams has only participated in more over 60 games once. Since the 2021–22 season, he has made 41 appearances overall.
Williams still has a lot of potential, so there should be interest in the big guy before the deadline of February 8th.
