The Boston Celtics lost to the New York Knicks in the most heartbreaking way possible on Thursday night: on a long, off-balance 3-pointer from RJ Barrett after blowing a 25-point lead. It was a horrid loss that caused head coach Ime Udoka to doubt his team's mental toughness.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadum, the Celtics made a roster move following the loss: waiving forward Jabari Parker.
The Boston Celtics are planning to waive forward Jabari Parker, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Celtics maintain roster flexibility with an open roster spot ahead of roster guarantee date. Parker showed scoring ability over the past season in Boston.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 7, 2022
Parker's role in the loss to New York didn't influence the decision to waive him, as he did not play in that game. The reason was most likely because they did not want to guarantee his contract, as he hardly contributes on the court. He has only played 9.3 minutes per game across 12 contests this season. The 26-year-old and former second overall draft pick is hanging onto the NBA by a thread, as he has played for five teams across the last four seasons.
Letting Parker go does give the Celtics some roster flexibility, but it doesn't begin to address any of their problems. They perform terribly on the road and have an ineffective offense outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston can't rest on Tatum and Brown still being young for much longer. If big roster moves or a sudden turnaround aren't on the horizon, their championship window is shut.
Celtics team president Brad Stevens admitted that his team has lots of holes to patch up. Making the most of the open roster spot he created by waiving Parker, rather than just signing someone else, would be a sign that he is willing to shake things up.
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