Celtics Almost Traded Guard to Retain Preseason Standout

The Boston Celtics almost didn't have one of their best players to start the season.

Dec 7, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) and Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) talk during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA. Their roster construction is something that the rest of the league envies and tries to emulate. Quite frankly, they have what might be the best starting five in the NBA. The bench, while not elite, gives them enough depth.

In the preseason, the Celtics had a few players have some breakout performances. They had to make some tough decisions when it came to filling out the final roster before the regular season started. Obviously, they had their main rotation guys set, but one decision, in particular, surprised some fans.

Boston decided to keep Jaden Springer and released Lonnie Walker IV. Walker IV had a strong preseason. In the three games in which he played more than seven minutes, he averaged 13.6 points per game on 48.6% shooting. It looked like he had earned a spot on the roster.

Not only were his stats strong in the preseason, but he was a cheap option. He would have been on the veteran minimum, which is a much smaller cap hit than some other players on the roster. According to Brian Robb of Mass Live, the Celtics considered trading a guard to keep Walker IV.

The Celtics considered trading guard Jaden Springer to make room for Walker IV on the roster. One of the main reasons why they decided to not make the move is that they were going to have to attach a draft pick to him in order for them to move him somewhere else.

Obviously, Boston did not want to do that. It's hard to argue with the decision-making from Brad Stevens considering where they sit in the standings. Despite his strong preseason, no other NBA team wanted to sign Walker IV to a contract. He's not even in the league at the moment.

Instead, Walker IV decided to head to Europe to play. He currently plays for Zalgris Kaunas of the EuroLeague. He has played pretty well while playing abroad. Walker IV leads the team in scoring, averaging almost 17 points per game while shooting almost 45% from three.

Springer hasn't done much for the Celtics at the NBA level yet, but they think he can develop into a bench player at some point. His young age is what gave him the edge over Walker IV.

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