Lonnie Walker IV didn't receive many phone calls this offseason in free agency, but when Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens reached out, the 25-year-old was immediately filled with excitement and anticipation of what could come from possibly joining the reigning NBA champions.
Walker signed an Exhibit 10 contract, just when it seemed as though Boston had its fill of offseason front office work. The Celtics retained Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman, spending over $500 million in combined contract extensions, creating a one-of-a-kind financial dilemma with Boston's payroll moving forward. Yet... that didn't deter Celtics ownership from keeping Stevens' green light shining to pull whatever strings feasible to keep the title-chasing train up and running. Walker, the dark horse addition to Boston's offseason transactions, is a firm believer that the Celtics could use him in a multitude of ways in 2024-25.
"What I bring to the team is additional scoring," Walker told CLNS Media during training camp. "Everyone knows that I'm a microwave scorer. I can get to the rim, I can shoot the three ball. But in addition to that, just playing within the flow of the game. When you have such an offensive forefront, the little things come easy. I'm gonna get a ton of open threes, a whole bunch of back-door cuts because if I'm on the floor with JT or (Jaylen Brown) when I do earn that spot -- God willing I get that spot -- doing the little things; cuts, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, sprints to the corners. Just the little things, the little details that make a good team a great team."
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The Brooklyn Nets had Walker last season on their dissapointing squad, utilizing the 6-foot-4 veteran off the bench across 58 appearances. Walker averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.6 steals in 17.4 minutes -- Walker's lowest playing time since his rookie year -- while shooting 42.3% from the field and 38.4% from 3-point territory. Sitting up for grabs in free agency was surprising in itself, but allowing the title defenders to sign Walker at no risk is even more stunning.
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Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla lost Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk this offseason but on the flip side, Walker's potential excels anything Brissett and Mykhailiuk tried to contribute as members of last season's reserve unit. Walker is a multi-dimensional guard who can facilitate and defend with postseason experience too. The premier driving factor, however, for Walker -- security -- could motivate him enough to go all out in preseason action to convince the Celtics to keep him around. Walker's also told Stevens he's willing to earn his stripes by playing for the organization's G League affiliate in Maine if necessary.
"I've been looking for a home since I left San Antonio (in 2022)," Walker said, per CLNS Media. "I've been doing a whole bunch of one-year deals -- one year with LA (Lakers), one year with the Nets. So now I'm on a E-10. Just finding the organization that really wants me to be a part of the team and continuously grow and be a part of the community and fanbase as well. That's my overall be-all is to finally find a team that I'm with for a long time, a long-term deal, whatever it might be, and just be embraced. I think since I've been in the league I've always dealt with inconsistent minutes based off of probably injuries or whatever it might've been that's out of my control. For once, I maybe just want some consistency in that area of understanding my role and my place within the team."
