The Celtics will begin the season with 14 players on their 15-man roster after waiving veteran guard Lonnie Walker over the weekend. The former first-round pick cleared waivers on Monday, making him an unrestricted free agent. What Walker elects to do next is not clear as of yet, but he’s reportedly drawing interest from teams abroad along with other NBA squad.
According to a report from Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, Real Madrid is targeting Walker as a potential addition. The Spanish club currently has many former NBA players on their roster including Mario Hezonja and Serge Ibaka.
Walker, 25, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Boston during the preseason, which came as a bit of a surprise given his extensive NBA experience. He performed well for Boston in the final stages of the preseason but the Celtics elected to waive him rather than face luxury tax penalties upwards of $11 million for carrying him on the roster as a 15th man.
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The team remains hopeful that Walker will elect to play for the Maine Celtics in the G-League. If he does report to Maine, he would earn a $77,500 bonus for playing 60 days and potentially be available for a midseason addition for the big club. However, it’s unclear just how patient Walker would remain for that potential opportunity. He would command good money overseas but the path to returning to the NBA would be easier with the Celtics or another squad if he remains stateside in the G-League.
It’s unlikely many other NBA teams have strong interest in Walker at the moment after he cleared waivers but that could change if a couple injuries hit once the regular season begins. With the G-League season not beginning for a few weeks, Walker will have some time to make his decision about his next home.
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