The Boston Celtics freed up a roster spot Friday.
Boston waived veteran forward Jabari Parker from the team Friday afternoon to bring its roster down to 14 players, not including two-way contracts. Parker was waived by the Celtics once before prior to the start of the 2021-22 NBA season, but was re-signed just as the season was starting up.
The 26-year-old has played in just 12 of the Celtics’ 39 games so far this season and in that span put up averages of 4.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists across 9.3 minutes of action.
With a roster spot now open, there could be a few free agents on the open market that could come in and help the Celtics break out of their recent slump.
The biggest name that comes to mind is former Boston point guard Isaiah Thomas. He initially signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and after it expired signed with the Dallas Mavericks on a similar contract, but entered the league’s health and safety protocols soon after and the contract is set to expire Jan. 7. The two have been linked ever since Thomas was traded in the team’s deal for Kyrie Irving, even to the point where Marcus Smart said he lobbied for the guard’s return, but nothing has come to fruition.
Aside from Thomas, other players that come to mind are DeMarcus Cousins, Yogi Ferrell, Dante Exum, Jahlil Okafor, Harry Giles or even Joe Johnson. The Celtics have struggled lately and sit at 18-21 after their collapse against the New York Knicks on Thursday so it wouldn’t hurt to take a chance on these guys.
