On the verge of beginning their title-defense season, the Boston Celtics have a major roster decision to make. The same core group from last season's championship team remains, and the Celtics didn't really make any changes to their roster during the offseason. However, Boston did sign Lonnie Walker IV to an Exhibit 10 contract, and they have until Saturday afternoon to make a decision on whether or not to keep the athletic guard.
From a sheer talent standpoint, Walker seems to fit in really well with the Celtics' style of play. The 25-year-old gets up and down the court really well, and he has proven to be a really strong isolation scorer coming off the bench in recent seasons. That was the case during the 2022-23 season when Walker played with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he continued to showcase his scoring prowess on the perimeter last season with the Brooklyn Nets.
In a total of 58 games with the Nets last year, all of which he came off the bench for, Walker averaged 9.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from three-point range. Why wouldn't the Celtics want this type of player in their second unit?
Well, the problem with keeping Walker isn't one that revolves around not having a roster spot open, as Boston has 14 players on their active roster right now. This issue with keeping Walker is one that has major financial ramifications for the Celtics, as this team is already over the second tax apron.
As a result, the Celtics are being taxed a certain amount for every dollar that they spend since they have exceeded the second apron. Walker, who would essentially be given a $2.1 million veteran's minimum contract if Boston was to keep him, would cost the Celtics close to $8.8 million in taxes, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. In total, keeping Walker and his scoring potential on the bench would cost the team around $11 million.
That is a lot of money for a championship-defending team to pay for the 15th man on their roster, which is why the overwhelming belief around the league is that Walker will ultimately be waived by the Celtics.
Lonnie Walker IV leaving strong impression in Boston
Regardless of what Walker would cost the Celtics if they were to keep him, there is no denying that he has held his own throughout the preseason. In his most recent preseason game with Boston, Walker recorded 20 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range in 30 minutes against the Toronto Raptors.
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Walker has also impressed the Celtics' coaching staff and head coach Joe Mazzulla, which is why a decision to part ways with the guard would be hard.
“He had a great training camp,” Mazzulla told reporters on Friday, via ClutchPoints' Celtics reporter Daniel Donabedian. “I liked his attitude, I liked his work ethic, and I thought he really got acclimated to our defensive system. I thought he really worked to study the offensive system and how to fit into that. I thought he took advantage of the time that he had, and that’s really all you can ask for.”
As for how Walker feels about his time in Boston, he made it clear in training camp that his focus was on growing and simply helping the team in any way he could.
It is worth noting that the Celtics did recently waive Ron Harper Jr., Jay Scrubb, and Hason Ward, all of whom owned training camp deals with the team. Walker is the last player remaining with a training camp deal, and the clock is ticking for Boston to make a decision on his immediate future.
