The Boston Celtics have waived veteran forward Jabari Parker, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Sunday.
The Athletic’s Jared Weiss reported Saturday that Parker and Bruno Fernando had made Boston’s final roster as the Celtics waived Theo Pinson, Garrison Mathews, Luke Kornet and Chris Clemons.
Parker’s $2.3 million salary was set to guarantee at the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign.
The Celtics signed Parker in April 2021 and he appeared in 10 games for the franchise during the 2020-21 season. He averaged 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 13.8 minutes played per game.
Parker’s release leaves the C’s with one active roster spot. It’s unclear who Boston might be targeting to fill the hole, but Avery Bradley, who was recently waived by the Golden State Warriors, could be a player to keep an eye on.
Boston also has one open two-way roster spot, as Spotrac’s Keith Smith points out. The franchise is now $4.6 million over the luxury tax line after waiving Parker, Smith adds.
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Boston will have $100,000 in dead money on the books after waiving Jabari Parker.
The Celtics now have one open standard roster spot and 1 open Two-Way roster spot.
Parker has been on the decline since the Atlanta Hawks traded him to the Sacramento Kings during the 2019-20 season. In 32 games with the Hawks, he averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. With the Kings, he was never able to find a home in Luke Walton’s rotation, averaging just 11.9 minutes per game.
Several injuries have also derailed the 26-year-old’s career. He tore the ACL in his left knee twice had been dealing with lingering shoulder problems in 2020.
The Milwaukee Bucks selected Parker second overall in the 2014 NBA draft. He spent four seasons with the Bucks from 2014-18 and has since bounced around the league, also playing for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.
Boston opens the 2021-22 season on Wednesday against the New York Knicks. It’s unclear if the Celtics plan to fill their open roster spot before that point.
