3 Teams the Celtics Don't Want to See Lonnie Walker Join

The Celtics were within their rights to waive Walker, but this could be a problem if he joins one of their rivals.

Oct 13, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Lonnie Walker IV (12) during the second half against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Even though the Celtics cut Lonnie Walker, it's unclear if they truly are done with him. Knowing the contract he agreed to, he could join their G-League affiliate, potentially paving the way for him to be promoted to their roster in a few months.

Or, alternatively, he could join one of their rivals.

To be fair, if the Celtics truly worried about that prospect, they would have kept him by any means necessary. Waiving him signaled that they didn't see him landing elsewhere as too big of a problem for them. That is, if they don't want to keep him on their G-League team, and that's been a hot topic since he joined their training camp roster.

if they don't, they could see him on one of their rivals. While it's not like it's the end of the world, the Celtics should keep their eyes peeled in case Walker joins one of the three following teams.

New York Knicks

On top of the cuts that they just made, the Knicks are a little low on depth due to their current injuries and the trades they made during the offseason. They are low on options for bench depth, plus Tom Thibodeau is notorious for his extremely short rotations, but they could use someone like Walker.

Walker gives them a scorer in their second unit, which is something they've had on their team back when they had Immanuel Quickley and Bojan Bogdanovic. They no longer have anyone on their roster who can fill that role. While Walker isn't as good as them, he fits that role better than the other available free agents and their other second unit players.

Miami Heat

No one knows what it is about Miami, but they have almost always routinely been a thorn in the Celtics' side for the past half-decade or so. A lot of that has been that they've managed to get excellent production out of the least likely candidates, like Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, and - this will sound familiar - former Celtics training camp invitee Max Strus.

For the record, Strus wasn't really a Celtics killer, but he helped the Heat achieve as much as they had for a few years because of how much they brought out of him. Walker has never stuck anywhere in the NBA, but if there's one team that is the most likely to help him become the best player he can be, it's South Beach.

And if there's one team who can utilize a fringe NBA player like Walker the best they can to beat the Celtics, it's the Heat.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets are in a somewhat odd place. In Nikola Jokic, they still have the reigning MVP at the top of his game. Yet there doesn't seem to be much buzz about their championship odds lately. That's because they've lost a lot of the depth that formed their title team only a year and a half ago, most recently with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Losing Caldwell-Pope may not have been a death blow, but it's undoubtedly a blow. Walker doesn't replace the two-time champion, but he could bring enough firepower for them to survive such a loss and still get back to contention. However, it would take more than just him.

Consider that these teams had their chance to get Walker and passed before Boston added him. Walker looked impressive during preseason, but he didn't do anything that NBA teams didn't already know he was capable of.

He should be on an NBA roster. In most cases, him signing with another team wouldn't be of much concern to Boston. However, if he signs with one of the aforementioned teams above, the Celtics should, at the very least, not brush it off.