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 may 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 results in Maine or one other group on the finish of the preseason.
Lonnie Walker signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics at the beginning of coaching camp. It is a non-guaranteed deal via 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 many of the season with that group’s G League affiliate. A very powerful half about an Exhibit 10 deal is that it doesn’t depend in direction of the wage cap. That’s how the Celtics, who’re very a lot over the cap, had 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 function participant within the NBA for a couple of years now and his free company was a little bit of a shock. Walker determined to signal this prove-it cope with 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 at the moment 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 may add round a further $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. Protecting Walker would nudge them to the subsequent 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 may be a further tax hit… https://t.co/8E8KrQnHYE
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 14, 2024
There are other ways for the Celtics to nonetheless signal Walker. They might 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 large gamble and virtually not price it should you’re the Celtics who must be utilizing the commerce deadline to search for methods to enhance the group for one more attainable deep playoff run. The Celtics possession can be already committing somewhat over 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars} to participant salaries this season and so they 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 assume the Celtics are prepared to shake up the group 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 at all times seeking to make the Boston Celtics the perfect group attainable to win one other championship and I belief that no matter he does, he’ll make the right choice.
