NBA Notebook: Robert Williams - not Danny, not Brad - is the real trade deadline winner for Celtics; Drummond?

The Boston Celtics aren’t winning nearly as much as Celtics Nation would want or expect this season, which has made a lot of folks hangry — yes, hangry is an actual word — for the not-that-long-ago days of success as an elite team in the East. 

But the trade deadline, as it does for most teams, offered hope that the trials and tribulations of the recent past would serve as mile markers for better days and more triumphs down the road. 

The Celtics got a taste of that post-trade deadline elixir on Friday, but it had nothing to do with the additions of Evan Fournier, Moe Wagner, or Luke Kornet. 

More than anything else, Boston’s moves at the deadline addressed what fans have been clamoring to see more of down the stretch: Robert Williams. 

With Daniel Theis being traded to Chicago and Tristan Thompson still in health protocol for at least a couple more games, Williams would get to play freely without the worries or concerns that his minutes would be chopped into regardless of how he performed. 

It was Time Lord’s time. 

“I felt good, playing more minutes, knowing my team needed me,” said Williams who played 27 or more minutes for just the third time in his career, the second time this month.

 Williams had the kind of stat-stuffing game that speaks to his ability to impact the game in a multitude of ways.

He had seven points on 3-for-5 shooting to go with nine rebounds, six assists, five blocks, and two steals as Boston won on the road for just the second time in its last 12 road games.

Williams will provide those hustle/energy plays. 

That’s his game. 

But he won’t stretch the floor with his shot-making which has been a staple of Boston’s big men under Brad Stevens. Williams does most of his scoring via lobs and dunks, evident by 93.3 percent of his shot attempts occurring within two seconds of him touching the ball and 88.8 percent occurring without him taking a single dribble.

“But he does draw attention when he’s on the baseline and when he’s rolling to the rim which opens things up for other shooters,” Stevens said.

However, it’s little things that rarely get noticed.

Against the Bucks in the third quarter, Williams contested a shot attempt and tapped the rebound out to an unsuspecting Kemba Walker. The ball was well on its way towards going out of bounds before Williams hustled down the loose ball and got it to a teammate. Seconds later, Jayson Tatum drained a 3-pointer that pushed Boston’s lead to 74-63. 

There were other examples of Williams’ impact throughout the game, such as him switching out defensively on Giannis Antetokounmpo and forcing a miss, or deflecting multiple passes on a single possession. 

Of course, he still had an occasional defensive breakdown from time to time but overall, Williams delivered the kind of performance that gives Celtics fans hope that the trade deadline delivered just what this team needs right now - more Robert Williams. 

DRUM(MOND) ROLL PLEASE!

The Boston Celtics are in the mix for Andre Drummond, arguably the best player available on the buyout market. A league source confirmed that Boston is among the teams Drummond is seriously considering signing with, along with a handful of other teams that includes both the  Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. 

No timetable was given for when the 27-year-old center would make a decision.

“It could be in 24 hours, it could be a few days,” a league source texted the BostonSportsJournal.com. “No one but (Drummond) knows when he’ll decide.”

Boston would afford Drummond an opportunity to play major minutes for a playoff team that’s built around a relatively young core. His role with the Lakers would shrink significantly once Anthony Davis (Achilles) returns to action, but playing a key reserve role for a title contender may bode well for Drummond when he hits free agency this summer.

And then there’s the Knicks.

They have more money (they’re about $15 million under the salary cap) to offer than any team for Drummond, not to mention a starting job for a squad that’s currently fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. 

C’S GOING FORWARD WITH FOURNIER

When the Celtics decided to use the bulk of its league-record $28.5 million Traded Player Exception on Evan Fournier, the sense among many throughout the league was that he would be a one-year rental.

The 28-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is expected to command a salary of around $20 million per season. The Celtics do have his Bird Rights which will allow them to go over the salary cap to re-sign him but they will be hard-pressed to keep their core guys as-is, and then add Fournier with a new deal. Boston already has a pair of max contract players (Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum) and a third, near-max contract in Jaylen Brown.

Rival executives aren’t sold on Danny Ainge re-signing Fournier beyond this season, adding that to do so would likely result in Boston having to trade away one of its top-four salaried players. 

“We acquired Evan, we didn’t acquire him with the idea that he’s just going to be with us for this year,” said Ainge, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations. “We acquired him with the idea that he could potentially be here for a long time, like all the players we acquire.”

That said, the worst-case scenario for the Celtics when it comes to Fournier beyond this season is that he gets an offer from another team and Boston will then generate another TPE similar to what they did with Gordon Hayward when the Celtics worked out a sign-and-trade that sent Hayward to Charlotte. 

OH SO CLOSE (AGAIN)

There are some things that are just woven into the fabric of our society that regardless of the season, never go away.

Among them?

The Celtics coming oh-so-close to pulling off a major blockbuster deal at the trade deadline. 

This year, Boston was in the mix for all of the top names such as Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Harrison Barnes. 

In the case of Vucevic, the Celtics weren’t going to top the Bulls’ offer of Otto Porter Jr., Wendell Carter Jr., and a pair of first-round picks.

But there is a sense among rival executives that the Celtics whiffed on landing Gordon by assuming the Orlando Magic would allow them to upgrade their initial offer which included a young player and a draft pick. The Magic eventually sent Gordon to Denver in exchange for Gary Harris Jr., R.J. Hampton, and a first-round pick. 

MOE WAGNER DEBUTS

Moments into Moe Wagner’s first game with the Boston Celtics, Celtics fans couldn’t help but have a “What if …” moment after he made his first shot with the Green team.

It wasn’t just that it was a 3-pointer, but more to the point … it was where the 3-pointer was made from. 

Wagner’s made 3-pointer was in the same spot that fellow German Daniel Theis, who was traded to Chicago for Wagner, missed what would have been a game-winner on Wednesday after the Celtics had trailed by as many as 25 points. 

BREAKOUT GAME FOR BOSTON’S BIG FOUR

Injuries, illnesses, and inconsistent play have kept Boston’s top four players - Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, and Marcus Smart - from seemingly clicking all at once. 

Friday’s win over Milwaukee was indeed a game like no other for the Celtics quartet. They would combine to score 96 points, the most they have scored in the same game all season.