Celtics make string of moves that add drama to Lonnie Walker situation

According to Bobby Manning of CLNS, the Boston Celtics have waived Jay Scrubb, Ron Harper Jr., and Hason Ward, all of whom are likely to play for the Maine Celtics in the G League this year. None were expected to make the roster, so none of these moves are surprising.

However, the decision to let those players walk adds some drama to the situation surrounding Lonnie Walker IV, who is also on an Exhibit 10 contract. Boston inked him to a deal toward the end of free agency, and he had a relatively up-and-down preseason stint with the team. Now, the team has a decision to make.

That’s where the drama comes in, as Walker is now the only Exhibit 10 player still on the Celtics roster.

Celtics have a big decision to make with Lonnie Walker IV

Boston has parted ways with Tristan Enaruna, Dmytro Skapintsev, Scrubb, Harper, and Ward, leaving Walker on board as the only training camp guy.

With that in mind, the question becomes, ‘Why?’

Why did the Celtics keep Walker on board while getting rid of everyone else on an Exhibit 10 contract? Do they have a plan in mind for him? Are they considering signing him to the 15th roster spot? Do they just want to let him practice with the team a bit longer?

The deadline to waive players on training camp deals and cut down the roster to a maximum of 15 players is 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. Boston will have to make a decision regarding Walker by then.

In Walker’s first two preseason games with the Celtics, he looked rough. He played limited minutes in Abu Dhabi, and when he finally got in the game, he was forcing some shots up.

However, once the Celtics got back stateside, Walker picked up the pace. He flashed some solid playmaking skills against the Philadelphia 76ers and was a scoring machine against the Toronto Raptors.

That said, Walker looked a bit sporadic on defense at times, and it seems as though his scoring efficiency is a bit dependent on volume, which he may not get in Boston.

Signing Walker to the 15th roster spot would cost the Celtics $11 million (including taxes) and put them in a new tier of taxpayers.

Is that worth it? Maybe not. Would Walker be a nice luxury to have? Definitely. That’s a decision the Celtics will have to make by Saturday, and it’s certainly not an easy one.