The Celtics elected to waive Jabari Parker on Friday afternoon a league source confirmed to MassLive.com. Shams Charania of Stadium was first to report Parker’s departure.
Parker’s $2.2 million contract for the 2021-22 season was set to guarantee if former No. 2 overall pick remained on Boston’s roster past Friday. Instead, the Celtics elected to open up that roster spot and avoid paying an additional salary (and luxury tax) on a player who had just suited up in just 12 games for Boston all season long.
Parker averaged 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in his 12 appearances this year and spent parts of two seasons with Boston after signing in March 2021. The 6-foot-8 forward will become a free agent upon clearing waivers.
Analysis
This was an understandable move for Brad Stevens in what will be a big month of decisions ahead. The Celtics made a mistake in the preseason electing to keep Parker over Garrison Matthews for the 15th roster spot. Grant Williams decidedly has outplayed Parker in the regular season for backup power forward minutes, making Parker excess bench depth most nights. He’s had a couple of strong offensive outings on the year, including 15 points against the Bucks on Christmas. However, his defensive limitations have kept Ime Udoka from turning to him as a reliable scoring option with the second unit.
With the Celtics opening up a roster spot, they will have additional flexibility to maneuver leading up to the trade deadline on February 10th. The team is holding multiple traded player exceptions and Stevens will likely be looking to making more changes with personnel after Boston dropped to 18-21 on the season following a loss against the Knicks on Friday night.
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