3 Celtics Boston Could Part Ways With to Make Room for Lonnie Walker

Walker has left a good enough impression that he deserves a spot, but who should the Celtics get rid of to make room for him?

Lonnie Walker IV / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Coming into the preseason, many couldn't believe the Celtics ended up signing Lonnie Walker. At the same time, they signed him to a training camp deal, meaning he'd have to work from the ground up if he had any hope of making the roster.

It remains in the air whether Walker will be on their opening night roster, but that doesn't detract from the fact that despite not hitting the ground running early on, Walker has looked every bit as good as his optimists believed he could be.

Following an encouraging performance against the 76ers, Walker looked even more electrifying in his start against the Raptors.

Besides being the scorer many believed he could be, Walker looks like a connector who could actually bring something to the Celtics' second unit if his Raptors' performance is a sign of what's to come. Making the team hasn't been the only thing in play for Walker. If he pans out as well as he could, being in the rotation isn't too farfetched for someone like him.

The one problem is that the Celtics are up to their ears in luxury taxes, so converting Walker's deal isn't as simple as it sounds. They would have to pay a much larger sum just to pay him a veteran's minimum contract.

Not to mention, the Celtics likely want to keep a roster spot open in case of an opportunity coming about around the trade deadline. So, if they want to keep Walker, what would help them sleep at night is getting rid of someone to make room for him, but who could fit that bill?

There are three potential options Boston could look into, with No. 3 being the least likely and No. 1 being the most.

3. Jordan Walsh

One thing should be clear before anyone hits those computer keys, ready to send the nastiest messages they can think of: The Celtics are not getting rid of Walsh, not after the preseason he's had.

It's amazing how little time it takes for a player to resurrect his value. This would not have sounded as crazy a few weeks ago as it does now because Walsh left plenty to be desired after a poor Summer League outing. Four preseason games later, Walsh is now the talk of the town.

As impressive as Walker has been for the last two preseason Celtics games, Walsh has outplayed him because he's been consistently good in all four of their games. His shot's falling, his confidence is up, and, best of all, he's not over-extending himself.

So why is he being brought up here if he's not going anywhere? Well, only under one circumstance is it plausible. If the Celtics are absolutely hellbent on getting Walker a spot on the team by any means necessary, the easiest way to do so financially would be to waive and stretch Walsh since only $200k of his contract next year is guaranteed. In other words, he would be the easiest cap hit.

Okay, now that that's over, Walsh's spot is undoubtedly secure after what he's shown. Walsh has looked like the game has really slowed down for him. If it were the opposite, waiving him for Walker would be a discussion, but thankfully for the Celtics, it's not.

2. Baylor Scheierman

Scheierman has pretty much been the opposite of Walsh this preseason. The Celtics rookie came into the NBA hyped as both NBA-ready at 24 and another floor-spacer with size, but the results thus far have not been too pretty.

Sheesh. Scheierman fell to 4/24 FG in the preseason tonight. Still waiting for that shot to flash after a slow Summer League.

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) October 14, 2024

No one expected Scheierman to come to Boston ready to contribute immediately. The team has too much proven veteran talent on the roster for him to break through. However, Walker's promising all-around play makes it harder not to notice Scheierman's struggles.

Passing on keeping Walker to develop Scheierman may not be the best idea since Walker has the better resume by far. The former could be ready to give the Celtics something now while the latter will likely spend most of his rookie season in Maine regardless of what happens in the end.

At the same time, getting rid of Scheierman for Walker is also not likely because dumping a former first-round pick because of his first preseason didn't turn out great for him seems foolish since it all counts for nothing. However, his contract is only guaranteed for two years, which could make him easier to waive or trade to a team looking for young talent.

1. Jaden Springer

Ever since they acquired him from the Sixers, Springer has been viewed as a project for the Celtics. He's young and the individual defense is already excellent, but his offense is still raw. Someone like him could pop in the future, but there's no telling when that will happen.

Compare him to Walker, who isn't a flawless player, but has demonstrated to Boston that he can be the player they want him to be when given an extended look. Springer's shown promise, but he hasn't shown that he has put it all together.

Springer hasn't been terrible in the preseason like Scheierman but has done nothing to make himself look on the same level as Walker. While we're on the subject, it seems telling that the Celtics have been playing Walker in favor of Springer over the last two preseason games.

He actually has some trade value given his youth and he'll enter restricted free agency in 2025. He'll also be cheap value since he's at the end of his rookie contract. If the Celtics want to open up that roster spot without absorbing a cap hit, Springer makes the most sense.

If the Celtics decide they would rather have someone who is ready now rather than someone who could be later, Springer's days could be numbered in Boston.

In a perfect world, the Celtics throw caution to the wind with their cap situation and convert Walker to a full-time contract without anyone getting thrown out to do so. Alas, these are the ramifications of paying top dollar for a contender.

There's also the possibility Walker starts the season in Maine regardless of how well he's played, then gets promoted in due time. There'd be no harm, no foul there, but he has shown enough that it's worth considering convering him to a full-time contract now instead of later.