Robert Williams III staying with Trail Blazers on $44M extension - ESPN

Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III has agreed to sign a three-year, $44 million contract extension to remain with Portland through the 2028-29 season, his agent Kevin Bradbury of LIFT Sports Management tells ESPN's Shams Charania.

After playing a combined 61 games across the prior three seasons, Williams appeared in 59 this year alone before also playing in all five of Portland's postseason games in a first-round loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

He averaged 6.7 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on the season while shooting over 70% from the floor.

Fellow centers Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen are also under contract for Portland next season.

Talent, particularly at the defensive end, has never been a question for Williams, who has long been one of the NBA's most potent rim protectors. Rather, it's been a question of whether his body would allow him to play, as he's only eclipsed 50 games three times total in his career.

Still, his career averages of a 72% field goal percentage and 1.6 blocks per game show his ability to impact the game at the rim on both ends.

Williams, 28, has extensive postseason experience from his time in Boston, including six starts in the 2022 NBA Finals.