Former Celtics big describes sadness, shock from sudden trade

Robert Williams III is back on the court for the Trail Blazers, though the team hasn’t relied on him for heavy minutes. Williams missed all but six games last season due to a right knee injury that required surgery.

Williams is now on his own journey with the Blazers where he’s viewed as one of the veterans in the locker room. He also has the playoff experience having suited up for the Celtics from 2018-23, which included the NBA Finals run in 2022. Speaking in a recent Blazers video, Williams talked about being traded from Boston to Portland.

“I was in my basement in Boston and my agent texts me like, ‘It’s tough, but we gotta let you go,' whatever, whatever,” Williams said. “I respect that always. It’s always love on that side for the opportunities. I was sad. It was my first trade. I was sad for like two or three days.”

Williams was part of the Jrue Holiday trade right before the start of the 2023-24 season. Holiday was moved from Milwaukee to Portland in the Damian Lillard deal. Considering the Blazers were in rebuild mode, they didn’t need a veteran guard like Holiday. Sensing opportunity, the C’s shipped Williams, Malcolm Brogdon and two first-round picks to land Holiday to further solidify their rotation.

The move came as a surprise due to the timing and considering Williams had shown off his game-changing talent for the C’s. He was an All-Defensive Second Team member for the 2021-22 season, his breakout year. But injuries have been the issue for Williams throughout his career as that’s continued in Portland.

Williams has played in 12 games (one start) this season as the team is being cautious with him coming off the lengthy layoff. He’s averaging 6.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 16.5 minutes per game. So when he has seen the court, he’s made an impact despite limited playing time.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Blazers do with Williams in the coming weeks. He only has one year left on his contract beyond this season as he’ll become a free agent in summer 2026. Williams has seen his name pop up in trade rumors. The Blazers already have Deandre Ayton and first-round pick Donovan Clingan, so Williams being shopped around isn’t a surprise.

So, there could be a market for Williams ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. While Williams has had injury issues, a team looking for big man production could look to him as a potential contributor. When he is healthy, Williams looks like one of the best players on the court. A playoff team could take on that availability risk because of how Williams can affect the game. Regardless, how his market shapes up will be worth watching going forward.

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