Lonnie Walker IV played well enough during the preseason that Celtics fans wondered if he would ultimately end up on the roster. But after signing an Exhibit 10 contract, as expected, Walker was waived as the Celtics couldn’t justify keeping him because of the salary cap penalties. Initially, it sounded like Walker could end up in the G League with the Maine Celtics.
That‘s part of the allure of signing guys to an Exhibit 10 contract for teams is to retain a player’s G League rights. But instead, Walker is not up in Maine as he chose to explore other opportunities, per Boston Sports Journal’s John Karalis . During training camp, Walker spoke about potentially playing in the G League, and he sounded open to the idea.
After showing some solid traits in the preseason — including getting minutes with the C‘s bench group — fans hoped Walker could be retained by the team. But the Celtics are deep in the luxury tax, so paying that much for the 15th man on the roster would’ve been expensive. “(Brad Stevens) also mentioned that there’s a possibility that I might spend some time in the G League with Maine, and honestly, I’m perfectly fine with that,” Walker said earlier in camp.
“Because as a man, you’ve got to take it on the chin. You’ve got to continue to work. You have to continue to be prepared and just keep being ready.
” Walker, 25, is entering his seventh pro season having played in more than 300 career NBA games. Despite that, he couldn’t get a .
