Is today veteran forward Jabari Parker’s last day as a Boston Celtic? Parker, a former No. 2 overall pick, was signed by the Celtics last season as something of a reclamation project, hoping to squeeze a little value out of the Duke product’s career, waylaid with multiple injuries and a notable lack of defense.
The team then re-signed him in the offseason with a partially guaranteed contract to give themselves a bit of a parachute should they want cap relief or to free up his roster spot. Inked for $2,239,544 with approximately half set to become guaranteed if he is not waived by 5pm ET today, there is a not-small chance Boston will have an open roster spot by the end of the business day.
If cap reasons are paramount to a team that looks very unlikely to make much noise in the postseason — and they should be — getting closer to skirting the tax this season is likely a priority for the team’s front office.
The following 23 contracts will become guaranteed on Friday Jan. 7- 5PM ET.:
ATL: T. Luwawu-Cabarrot
BOS: J. Parker
BKN: D. Bembry
CHI: A.McKinnie, M. Thomas
CLE: E. Davis, L. Stevens, D. Wade
DAL: M. Brown
GSW: D. Lee, G. Payton II
IND: O. Brissett, K. Martin, K. Sykes— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 4, 2022
And as much as a missed coverage by Parker may confound fans, he has been a reliable source of microwave scoring off the bench when used in short spurts, so it’s not out of the question Boston retains him given he’ll only save them a fraction of a veteran minimum deal.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
