The Boston Celtics just decided to pick up the 2026-27 team option on Baylor Scheierman’s contract. It was a predictable move, but combined with Josh Minott’s emergence and how solid rookie Hugo Gonzalez has looked, it could mean that Jordan Walsh’s time with the Celtics may be limited.
Walsh just started his third year with the team, though he hasn’t shown many flashes of growth at the NBA level, in particular. His three-point shot looks smoother, but outside of that, he seems to be very close to the same player he was when he first entered the league, which isn’t ideal.
Now, perhaps the Celtics could choose to move on from him.
Could the Celtics part ways with Jordan Walsh?
Walsh’s contract isn’t even guaranteed for the remainder of the season. It was partially guaranteed for $200,000, and on Opening Night, half of it became guaranteed.
However, the full value of his contract this year (just over $2.2 million) doesn’t become guaranteed until January 10, 2026. That means, if the Celtics wanted to, they could release Walsh before that point hits.
Considering how obvious it is that the Celtics are trying to stay under the second apron and save money (based on their offseason moves), perhaps Boston could consider this.
If one of their two-way players (Ron Harper Jr., Amari Williams, and Max Shulga) pops, then waiving Walsh before that date and signing one of them to a deal could potentially save a little bit of money. But it wouldn’t get them under the first apron, so it may not be worth it.
At this point, the only reason Boston would get rid of Walsh before next season would be if they truly don’t see anything left in his development and they want to bring someone else on board midseason.
However, Walsh has a team option for the 2026-27 season, and that could ultimately be a breaking point for the Celtics. If he doesn’t manage to earn playing time and do something with it, this season, his time in Boston could come to an end.
They have seemingly already found some other options they like at the wing and forward positions, so Walsh could be more expendable than he was even a year ago.
Scheierman’s option being picked up doesn’t directly have anything to do with Walsh’s future with the Celtics, but it does lead to some questions when taking a glance at the rest of the roster.
Walsh is one of those questions.