The Boston Celtics have signed former Spurs, Lakers, and Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Shams Charania. Walker was one of the few coveted free agents left on the market and will now add a polished scoring touch to the end of the Celtics bench for the 2024-25 NBA season.
"Contract details for Lonnie Walker IV with the Celtics, sources said: Exhibit 10. An E10 allows Celtics to give a bonus to Walker if he is waived after training camp and plays for the team's G League affiliate in Maine."
Walker IV averaged 9.7 points and 2.2 rebounds last season while playing for the Brooklyn Nets. His talents went largely unnoticed as the Nets were a team with no direction or competitive future. Fans will still remember Walker from his one-year tenure with the Lakers in 2022-23, highlighted by a 15-point fourth quarter against the Warriors during Game 4 of their Playoff matchup.
Walker sitting in free agency till the start of September had started confusing folks, as most people believed Walker was talented enough to be given a contract earlier in this year's free agency process. However, one-dimensional guard scorers have been losing popularity recently, which explains why Walker had to wait this long.
The Celtics have a stacked rotation, so it's hard to see where Walker could fit in for regular rotational minutes. The team will deploy him when needed in a pinch, but he likely won't have a consistent role on the squad, especially when everyone is healthy.
Even late-summer signings can end up having a major impact on a team, as indicated by what Derrick Jones Jr. achieved on the Mavericks last season despite joining the team in mid-August. If Walker can become a consistent bench sparkplug for the Celtics, the reigning champions will be even harder to beat next season.
Their guard rotation will primarily feature Jrue Holiday and Derrick White as starters, but Payton Prichard will also be a highlighted piece off the bench. Walker might struggle to get minutes as a result, but if he does shine in his first few opportunities, the Celtics would happily deploy him behind White or even Jaylen Brown.
Hopefully, the 25-year-old guard can find a home in the NBA, as the Celtics mark his fourth team since being drafted into the NBA in 2019.
