Last week, the Celtics and Lonnie Walker IV agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal. That means the 25-year-old guard will join the reigning NBA champions for training camp, where he’ll fight for their 15th roster spot.
Walker averaged 9.7 points and knocked down 38.4 percent of the 4.7 threes he hoisted in 17.4 minutes of floor time across 58 games while with the Nets last season.
That came on the heels of delivering double-digit scoring performances off the Lakers’ bench in the 2023 playoffs, helping Los Angeles reach the Western Conference Finals.
While Boston has a defensive bulldog in Jaden Springer and first-round pick Baylor Scheierman in their extended rotation, vying for larger roles, Walker would add more firepower to the second unit and help pace Derrick White and Jrue Holiday through the upcoming campaign.
Both the Celtics’ starting guards are now in their 30s and put more mileage on their tires this summer, helping the United States men’s basketball team capture gold at the Olympics in Paris. That’s not raising concern about their play declining but rather the importance of diligently managing their minutes.
As Walker aims to help with that, San Antonio’s former first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft is “ready to earn his keep” with the defending champions, according to Jeff Garcia of Locked On Spurs and KENS 5, who spoke with someone from his camp.
Regarding the prospect of the former Miami Hurricanes star making the Celtics, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that sources tell him, “There’s a chance Walker is waived after camp to keep Boston’s 15th roster spot open going into the season.”
If the Celtics go that route instead of converting his Exhibit 10 deal into a standard contract, they can give him a bonus if he is waived after training camp and plays for their G League affiliate in Maine.
Boston is already spending $196.6 million in player salaries, $7.6 million over the second apron, and has satisfied the league minimum of having 14 players signed to standard contracts.
While even a small-scale signing would come with an expensive tax, and converting Walker’s deal means the Celtics would no longer have a vacant roster spot to add a free agent without creating an opening, they’re well-built to absorb an injury.
And if, for example, they found themselves in need of another point guard, they could decide there’s more value in keeping Walker than someone else they move on from to make room for an additional floor general.
He has the talent to earn consistent minutes off the bench, and his training camp and preseason performance could convince Boston that his value in helping pace their starting perimeter players, especially White and Holiday, is worth the cost of bringing him on board.
Furthermore, as someone who shot 44.4 percent from the corners and north of 39.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes last season, per NBA.com, and also has the explosivity to be a threat attacking off the dribble, he could slot in well alongside Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, helping alleviate their offensive burden as they anchor a lineup featuring multiple members of the second unit.
But if Walker doesn’t get his contract converted, expect him to parlay his time with the Celtics into an opportunity elsewhere.
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