During the preseason, the Boston Celtics watched six-year veteran Lonnie Walker make the most of his Exhibit 10 contract opportunity. Still, it wasn’t enough for the 25-year-old to earn himself a spot on the regular season roster.
Walker was waived by the Celtics ahead of Saturday evening’s deadline, adding him to a piling list of preseason hopefuls failing to make the cut in Boston — Ron Harper Jr., Jay Scrubb and Hason Ward are among the others waived to tidy up head coach Joe Mazzulla’s squad. But unlike the little-name hopefuls, Walker is a proven two-way NBA talent with playoff experience, which doesn’t fit the traditional mold of an Exhibit 10-caliber player. He didn’t carry himself as though the contract was beneath him, performed and sent a cryptic message on social media after the intriguing stint in Boston.
“Will always bet on myself,” Walker posted on his Instagram story Saturday. “This is gonna be one hell of a story.”
Now, this doesn’t officially mark the end of Walker’s time with the organization. It’s entirely up to him whether or not he plans to join Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, or sign a deal elsewhere. Plus, considering the way Walker performed — scoring 20 points in 30 minutes against the Toronto Raptors — during the preseason, it’s fair to assume teams across the league are eager to receive a second chance to snag Walker after allowing the reigning champion Celtics to pick him up at a low-risk price.
Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens worked on a mega-tight budget this offseason, prioritizing (nearly) everyone from last season’s team by spending over $500 million in retaining contract extensions. Then, when it seemed as though the Celtics were done for good, Stevens snagged Walker, a career-35.6% 3-point shooter capable of making a difference in limited minutes, to keep the ball rolling. To no surprise, as Walker’s contract of $2 million would’ve done further damage to Boston’s already-heavy tax bill and cost the organization over $10 million, the front office pulled the trigger. Now, the roster is trimmed down to 14 players, leaving one open spot vacant before Opening Night.
Story continues below advertisement
Walker is up to decide where to go moving forward. Being that the Celtics are poised for another deep run, sticking around to catapult personal stock value before testing out the open market, again, could pay its dividends in the long run.
