Just before the start of the 2024-25 regular season, the reigning champion Boston Celtics have opted to cut veteran Exhibit 10 signing Lonnie Walker IV, per Bobby Marks of ESPN.
Boston will now have one available spot open on its 15-man standard roster prior to its season opener next week.
"My godparents are Italian so they are hardcore Boston Celtics fans, to say the least. So I kind of grew up watching the Celtics and this is actually one of my first [NBA] games I got to watch," Walker told Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston in a preseason interview.
The San Antonio Spurs selected the 6-foot-4 swingman with the No. 18 selection out of the University of Miami in the 2018 NBA Draft. After four seasons in San Antonio, Walker spent 2022-23 with the Los Angeles Lakers and 2023-24 with the Brooklyn Nets as a sharpshooting reserve.
After failing to land an offer in free agency, Walker opted to ink a "prove-it" Exhibit 10 contract with Boston in the hopes of latching on with the best team in the league.
Because the Celtics are currently $7 million over the NBA's second luxury tax apron, the team would have taken severe penalties even while paying him a veteran's minimum contract. Should Boston make another move, it could potentially free up space to sign him without incurring such harsh penalties later this year.
Read more: Celtics Sign Former Lakers Guard To Bolster Roster Depth
"The road's a little bit different for me, personally," Walker told Forsberg of his strategy with Boston. "I'm on the E10 right now, still trying to grind and get it all together and get the guarantee, but there's nothing better than being with a winning team, nothing better than having a culture that has a winning mindset, and that's something that builds you, individually and overall for the team."
Walker is a surprisingly seasoned talent to have resorted to the Exhibit 10 route this offseason.
Last year with Brooklyn, the 25-year-old wing notched impressively efficient averages of 9.7 points on .423/.384/.763 shooting splits, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.6 steals.
Across 322 career regular season games (88 starts), the veteran swingman boasts averages of 9.8 points on a .422/.356/.795 slash line, 2.3 boards, 1.5 dimes and 0.5 swipes per bout.
"Each and every day I believe in myself, the amount of work that I put in, the amount of time and sacrifice that I put into this game," Walker said. "Sooner or later, the preparation has to meet the opportunity. So I'm very patient, understanding what I've got to do. And whenever my time is called, I know that I'm mentally and physically prepared."
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