In a really perfect world, Grant Williams would have preferred to get a contract extension completed with the Celtics by Monday’s deadline. He would have preferred to not have uncertainty looming over him all season, and he would have preferred to be locked in with the C’s for years to return.
But a deal by no means got here to fruition, and Williams is simply nice with that.
As he enters the fourth and ultimate yr of his rookie contract, Williams was eligible for a rookie extension, however he and the C’s couldn’t come to an settlement earlier than Monday’s 6 p.m. deadline, which suggests he’ll be a restricted free agent subsequent summer time. Williams, although, was not disenchanted, and he was prepared to show the web page because the Celtics restart their championship pursuit this season.
“It’s one of those things you just have to move on from,” Williams stated at Tuesday morning’s shootaround. “You have your goal and you just determine the value and for you, you just gotta perform. That’s all you have to go do. … You go through negotiations, sometimes negotiations don’t go the way you want them to. You can only persevere and push through.”
“Absolutely, you want it to get settled. You want to get a deal, you want to make sure you’re locked in with the guys you want to be with for years to come. But it doesn’t happen. For me, emotions-wise, it doesn’t really affect my mind much because at the end of the day, I’m gonna go out there and do what I do. Do the job that I’m asked to do, perform in the situations I need to perform, and focus on the rest of the stuff the following year. There are other things you can control, you can only control what you can and move forward with that.”
Williams realized {that a} deal wouldn’t get completed at round 5:30 on Monday, when it was clear that neither aspect was budging.
“I wasn’t moving off of what I wanted, and I don’t think they were either,” Williams stated.
Williams is aware of that he might have assured himself life-changing cash if he accepted the Celtics’ supply. But the 23-year-old is trying on the greater image.
While he definitely may very well be betting on himself to have a breakout season and earn a much bigger payday subsequent summer time, Williams has an eye fixed on what offers like his imply for the league – it’s anticipated that the wage cap will enhance subsequent season – and the usual he might set for gamers who’re like him after he emerged as a invaluable 3-and-D risk final season.
“Everyone makes the claim for life-changing money,” Williams stated. “And it’s an excellent declare to have, but it surely’s a type of issues that you simply by no means wish to take a foul deal for (anybody) round you. When you look throughout the league, while you have a look at the position that I play within the gamers’ affiliation, the thought is that you simply perceive the place the league goes sooner or later and also you perceive the place the league is at the moment at. So for me it wasn’t a matter of life-changing cash, it was a matter of worth not just for this yr however the years to return. I feel that for either side, all of us negotiated to get to that time.
“And there was no in poor health will, there have been no frustrations. It was a type of issues that you simply simply couldn’t come to phrases. It doesn’t imply {that a} deal doesn’t get completed subsequent yr, it doesn’t imply a deal received’t get completed sooner or later.
“So for us, it’s just a matter of perspective. Like, I want to make sure that not only the deal that I take is something that I feel confident about, but it’s something that it doesn’t mess up the guys around me, it doesn’t mess up the market for the guys who do the things that I do. I feel like you look at the guys who didn’t take extensions, they’re pretty much in the same position. And for me, that’s huge, that’s valuable, because I care about every single player in this league. I care about every single player in each organization that has to deal with free agency, that has to deal with the issues that necessarily we have in this league. So we’re on the right path. We’re on the right steps. So we just have to go out there and do what we do.”
Now that he’s basically enjoying for a contract, Williams – who’s anticipated to tackle a much bigger position to start out the season with the absence of Rob Williams – may very well be out to show himself this season. But that’s not his strategy. He desires to maintain his vitality on enjoying his position for a crew with championship aspirations, and let the remainder care for itself after.
“If you think about proving yourself, it’s more so thinking of the individual,” he stated. “For me, I’ve always been about the team. I’ve always been a guy that focuses his energy on making his team better and making his teammates around him happy. Making his teammates around him more excited to play the game every single day of this long season. For me, that’s kind of my perspective going into it. You have to be that same person, that same human. Not let the other stuff affect you and just focus on the things that matter. That’s winning and performing with the group of guys you have.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com