The Portland Trail Blazers head into the summer with center Robert Williams at the top of their free-agency agenda after the 28-year-old capped a mostly healthy campaign, logging 59 games and posting 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 17.1 minutes while shooting 70.8% from the field.
Spotrac analyst Keith Smith reports that several clubs—most notably the cap-rich Los Angeles Lakers—are searching for front-court help, which could drive up Williams’ price. Using Portland’s Bird rights, Smith projects a deal in the neighborhood of $36 million over two years or $54 million across three years with a partially or non-guaranteed final season. He warns that an annual figure near $20 million would be excessive given Williams’ injury history, suggesting the Blazers may have to pivot if bidding reaches that level.
The franchise is less certain about keeping Matisse Thybulle. The 29-year-old wing appeared in only 30 games, and Portland already has multiple perimeter players ahead of him in the rotation. Smith pegs Thybulle’s market value between $8 million and $10 million per season—potentially too steep unless the team clears roster space on the wing.
Beyond free agency, Portland must decide whether to offer Scoot Henderson a rookie-scale extension. The No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft missed a large chunk of the season but closed strongly and contributed in the playoffs. With Damian Lillard expected back, Henderson could face a minutes crunch. According to Smith, the front office may survey trade possibilities and could opt to let the guard play out next season and enter restricted free agency before negotiating long-term terms.
Meanwhile, Souichi Terada of MassLive notes that Williams could draw interest from his former team, the Boston Celtics. After a short-lived experiment with Nikola Vucevic, Boston needs a dependable backup behind Neemias Queta, making a reunion plausible if Portland cannot reach a deal with the veteran center.
Source: Hoops Rumors
