Lonnie Walker has performed some actually good basketball with the Celtics over the course of the final two preseason video games. Going into the second recreation of a back-to-back and a 9-point efficiency on Saturday, Walker dropped 20 factors on the Raptors taking pictures 8-15 from the sphere and 4-9 from three. This efficiency might beg the query, “Why isn’t Walker signed to a assured contract but?” However because of the Celtics wage cap constraints, there’s an opportunity Lonnie Walker leads to Maine or one other crew on the finish of the preseason.
Lonnie Walker signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics at first of coaching camp. It is a non-guaranteed deal by the preseaon that provides a participant the possibility to compete for a roster spot. Usually, a participant signed to this deal finally ends up getting waived and spending a lot of the season with that crew’s G League affiliate. A very powerful half about an Exhibit 10 deal is that it doesn’t rely in the direction of the wage cap. That’s how the Celtics, who’re very a lot over the cap, have been in a position to usher in Walker within the first place.
Nonetheless, in contrast to most gamers who signal an Exhibit 10 contract, Lonnie Walker has been a contributing position participant within the NBA for just a few years now and his free company was a little bit of a shock. Walker determined to signal this prove-it take care of the Celtics as a result of he’s prepared to do something to be a contributor to a contender and he has proven it. If Boston did wish to signal Walker to a assured contract nonetheless, they must be prepared to have round an additional $11 million on the books.
In accordance with Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Celtics presently have a $3.75 tax multiplie for each $1 they spend on salaries. In the event that they signed Walker, this may make the multiplier go as much as $4.25. Walker’s wage on a veteran minimal contract could be about $2.1 million and with the $4.25 tax multiplier, that might add round an extra $8.8 million, making the price of Walker to be round $11 million.
Proper now, the Celtics are at a $3.75 tax multiplier for each $1 spent. Preserving Walker would nudge them to the following bracket and put them at a $4.25 tax multiplier for each $1 spent.
For Walker, who could be on the vet minimal of about $2.1M, that might be an extra tax hit… https://t.co/8E8KrQnHYE
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 14, 2024
There are other ways for the Celtics to nonetheless signal Walker. They may commerce a participant like Jaden Springer to make room on the wage cap or simply signal Lonnie Walker outright and have Brad Stevens attempt his finest to chop wage by the commerce deadline when the contracts of gamers like Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, or Neemias Queta are trade-eligible.
It is a huge gamble and nearly not value it should you’re the Celtics who must be utilizing the commerce deadline to search for methods to enhance the crew for an additional doable deep playoff run. The Celtics possession can be already committing a bit of over 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars} to participant salaries this season they usually could not wish to pay an additional $11 million for Walker who would in all probability be the Twelfth-Fifteenth man off the bench.
As of proper now, I don’t suppose the Celtics are prepared to shake up the crew proper now to signal Lonnie Walker. Nonetheless, his play all through the preseason up to now has, on the very least, made the Celtics take into consideration not eager to lose him. You by no means know what Brad Stevens has up his sleeve as he’s all the time seeking to make the Boston Celtics the most effective crew doable to win one other championship and I belief that no matter he does, he’ll make the right choice.
