The Boston Celtics have officially waived JD Davison, according to PR, clearing his roughly $2.3 million from the books, and dipping back below the dreaded second apron. Boston originally got below the second-apron line following the Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis trades, but signing Luka Garza and Josh Minott brought them less than $1 million back over it.
Waiving Davison doesn’t mean the Celtics are done, however, just that they could be, if they wanted to. Theoretically, the Celtics could roll into next season with their current roster, not change a thing, and be below the second apron by the time the deadline comes around.
But that wouldn’t leave them with much flexibility. In fact, waiving Davison to gain roster flexiblity could signal that another move is on the way.
What does Celtics waiving JD Davison mean?
Davison was the G League MVP last season, and over the course of the last two years, he has led the Maine Celtics to their first G League Finals showing and an Eastern Conference finals appearance.
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old will now be looking for his next home, as the Celtics decided to move on and go in a different direction.
While a part of the move may have been Boston’s lack of belief in Davison’s ability to grow in the NBA, the likely scenario is that it was mostly a flexibility-driven decision.
From a financial perspective, this move allows the Celtics to act as a first-apron team, rather than a second-apron team. Some options that are now available to them that weren’t as a second-aprorn team include sending out cash in trades, acquiring a player using a TPE that was created via previous sign-and-trade, aggregating two or more players in a trade, and using the taxpayer MLE.
Technically, the Celtics could do all those things if they ended the deal out of the first apron, but the point stands: They have a bit more breathing room.
But the real flexibility they gained by trading Davison is the open roster spot. If they do want to continue shedding salary, having an extra slot to take back multiple players in a deal is crucial.
Guys like Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang seem destined to at least be floated in trade talks, and if one is traded (Simons, in particular), the Celtics may end up having to take back multiple contracts.
Boston may have also made the move in order to sign a player (like Ben Simmons, who they have been linked to), but that would once again put them into the second apron.
Waiving Davison may not seem like a big decision, but it definitely provides the Celtics with some additional flexibility to make future moves.
And maybe it’s even a sign that another move could come sooner rather than later.