Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams will reportedly undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee that will require four-to-six weeks of recovery, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.

Williams is expected to have the procedure at some point this week, per Deveney.

The Celtics begin their regular season on Oct. 18, exactly four weeks from Tuesday.

The 24-year-old also underwent knee surgery in March, which limited him throughout the team's playoff run to the NBA Finals.

Williams was initially diagnosed with a torn meniscus, which cost him the final seven games of the regular season, but he returned in the playoffs after less than a month off the court. He ended up missing seven games during the postseason run, but the team was confident he would return to full strength by the start of the 2022-23 campaign.

"There is no long-term concern about his knee injury," Brian Robb of Mass Live reported. "No surgery was needed so ample rest this summer should have him at 100 percent in camp."

The latest issue now raises question marks heading into a season where the Celtics have high expectations.

Williams is coming off his best season in the NBA, averaging 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 73.6 percent from the field. He became a full-time starter in his fourth season in Boston, and rewarded the coaching staff with a team-high 9.9 win shares, per Basketball Reference, seventh-best in the league.

Losing the top rim-protector for an extended stretch would be damaging for Boston as it battles for seeding with the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Veteran Al Horford will become even more important in the early part of the season, while Luke Kornet and Grant Williams will likely also see extra minutes at center.

The Boston Celtics reportedly have "optimism" they'll agree to a contract extension with power forward Grant Williams ahead of the NBA's Oct. 17 deadline.

Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports reported Tuesday the sides haven't talked since earlier in the offseason and there are no further discussions currently scheduled, but one source involved in the process believes the deadline may spur action in the coming weeks.

"You don't know sometimes until you get down to the final few days," the source told Deveney.

Williams has steadily developed into a highly effective role player for the Celtics, who selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2019 draft.

The former University of Tennessee standout is coming off a 2021-22 season where he averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 threes across 77 games (21 starts). He shot 47.5 percent from the field, including 41.1 percent from beyond the arc.

His combination of outside shooting and strong defense—plus-2.7 defensive RAPTOR across three NBA seasons, per FiveThirtyEight—makes him an ideal fit for a stretch 4 in the modern game.

Williams is expected to seek a four-year extension in the range of $55-60 million while using the leverage of there being an "influx of teams under the salary cap and able to present contracts of greater value than what the Celtics can give" next summer, per Deveney.

The 23-year-old North Carolina native would be a restricted free agent next offseason, giving Boston the ability to match any offer sheet he received.

In July, the 6'6'' forward said he hoped the sides could agree on an extension before that potential foray into free agency.

"I think both parties are hopefully mutually understanding that we want to get this thing done and make sure that we come together and have a successful next few years," Williams told reporters. "Because I love Boston, I love the fact that I not only get to be there and be around the team that I'm with, cause I have great relationships with the guys. But I also just love the city and being able to live there."

The Celtics are scheduled to open training camp next week ahead of their Oct. 2 preseason opener against the Charlotte Hornets. It wouldn't be a surprise to see contract talks heat up in the near future, though it might take until the deadline to strike a deal.

Williams is once again ticketed to serve as a key frontcourt reserve behind the starting tandem of Al Horford and Robert Williams III for the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

The Boston Celtics have already gotten started on their season-long tribute to Bill Russell, revealing on Monday that his No. 6 has been painted within the free-throw lanes of their parquet floor at TD Garden:

The Celtics plan on honoring the late Hall of Famer in several ways throughout the 2022-23 season. Per ESPN, Boston is planning two tribute nights for Russell, one during its season opener on Oct. 18 and the other on Feb. 12, which would've been his 89th birthday.

The team will also wear special City Edition jerseys that will pay tribute to Russell. Those uniforms will be worn a total of 12 times during the season, with the first appearance coming on Opening Night.

Not only that, but the team's regular uniforms will have a tribute to Russell as well.

On Aug. 11, the NBA announced Russell's No. 6 would be retired throughout the league. He is the first and only player in NBA history to have his number retired league-wide.

Money will not be an issue for the Boston Celtics or team president Brad Stevens as they try to build a contender this season.

"I think we're spending about $200 million on the roster this year, and Brad has the green light to spend more," Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (h/t Hoops Hype).

The Celtics have a payroll of about $170 million this season, fifth-highest in the NBA, which comes with a luxury tax bill of $44.5 million, per Spotrac.

After reaching the NBA Finals last season, the squad remained aggressive this summer with the addition of Malcolm Brogdon. They were also involved in talks for Kevin Durant before the superstar decided to return to the Brooklyn Nets.

Grousbeck explained the team's strategy with a title within reach:

People can write or think whatever they want. Or, you can actually look at what we do, which is do whatever we possibly can to win a championship. And we’re in the mode right now of completely adding on. Are you going to trade future draft picks and young players under 30? Hopefully not. But money is not a consideration whatsoever, and this roster shows that.

The Celtics earned the No. 2 seed in the East last year and completed an impressive run through the playoffs, beating the Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat. The team still lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games, which was enough to spur an active offseason.

"Do whatever it takes to get better, because we weren't good enough," Grousbeck said of his message to Stevens.

With Brogdon added to a roster that already includes Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brrown and more, Boston will look to take the next step this season.

Marcus Smart does not seem bothered that his name came up in Kevin Durant trade rumors this offseason.

"For someone who's always talked about in trade talks, I didn't really pay too much mind to that. Until it actually happens, I don't believe it," Smart told Jared Weiss of The Athletic. "We can sit here and say this person said this, but we don't even know who said it. It's like a telephone game. By the time it gets back to you, you don't know what changed and who said what. Until it actually happens, I try to pay trade rumors no mind."

The Brooklyn Nets wanted Smart, Jaylen Brown, several draft picks and perhaps another player for Durant, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. The Celtics balked at that asking price, and Durant ultimately recommitted to Brooklyn.

It's worth noting that Smart, rather than Brown, was the piece that made Boston resistant to the blockbuster. Charania reported the Celtics offered Brown, Derrick White and a pick to the Nets but were "less inclined" to offer a package that included Smart with multiple other players or picks.

Smart is the NBA's reigning Defensive Player of the Year and became the first guard to win it since Gary Payton in 1995-96. They are the only point guards to earn the honor.

While his defensive presence on the perimeter is stellar, Smart is also a vital emotional leader for Boston. Brown and Jayson Tatum tend to be more measured, whereas Smart is expressive on the floor and behind the scenes.

“When I told those guys I love them, I meant it," Smart told reporters before the NBA Finals. "We've all been through some things individually. Al [Horford], Jaylen, couple of those guys that have been here with me. My mom passed; they flew all the way to Dallas for the funeral. That was for real. It wasn't no tactic. It was nothing. That was me being who I am and it was being true. We have a special bond outside of basketball, and to be able to go to war with those guys makes that bond even stronger.”

Smart expressed gladness that the Celtics did not shake up their core, saying he wants to "run it back" with last season's Eastern Conference champions.

How Boston's rejection of Brooklyn's blockbuster proposal is remembered will be determined by how successful these Celtics are.

The Boston Celtics are "not expected to have interest" in signing veteran forward Carmelo Anthony ahead of training camp, according to MassLive's Brian Robb, who added:

"That's not to say the team is done shaping the roster ahead of the preseason but Anthony isn't a priority at this point at names that could be brought in. Boston likes a lot of their internal replacement options from what I’ve heard and want to give those names the first crack at minutes."

Celtics reporter Mark Murphy made similar comments on the Celtics Talk Podcast with Chris Forsberg (h/t NBC Sports Boston's Darren Hartwell):

"I think they feel they want to find out what they've got. They're not in a hurry," Murphy said. "If there's a trade out there, why not? But I don't think they're at all interested in Carmelo, for example."

There have been questions about how the Celtics can replace Danilo Gallinari, who suffered a torn left ACL while playing for Italy in a FIBA World Cup qualifying game this summer. The injury will likely sideline him for the entire 2022-23 campaign.

Anthony had reportedly been considered an option for the Celtics, and the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn reported earlier this month that the idea of the former New York Knicks star signing in Boston was "starting to gain traction" because he "may be the best shooting forward left on the market."

It's not necessarily surprising that the Celtics aren't believed to be interested in Anthony, though. Boston is over the luxury tax and would need to pay $13 million in additional taxes to sign him.

That said, it seems the franchise could rely on internal options to replace Gallinari. Sam Hauser and Grant Williams are two players who could see more playing time in his absence.

Anthony, who spent the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, remains a free agent. He had a solid year with the Purple and Gold, averaging 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 69 games while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from deep.

The 38-year-old has expressed interest in a reunion with the Knicks, according to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer on the Please Don't Aggregate This podcast, though it's unclear if the franchise feels the same way.

The ring given to Bill Russell for his 1975 induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is up for auction.

SCP Auctions estimated the ring's value at $150,000 to $250,000.

Russell refused to accept his Hall of Fame ring for more than 40 years because he did not feel it was appropriate for him to be the first Black inductee. He held a private ceremony with family and close friends in 2019 to finally accept the ring.

After winning nine rings as a player, Russell became the Celtics' player-coach for his final two NBA seasons and added another pair of championships. He was the first Black coach in NBA history and remains the record holder for the most titles for an NBA player (11).

A pioneer on and off the court, Russell died in July at age 88. The NBA announced plans to retire his No. 6 across the league last month.