What Lonnie Walker IV signing means for Celtics roster

The Celtics entered this summer limited in what they could do, but they still ended up making some notable moves. Add Lonnie Walker IV to that list as the reigning champs agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the veteran guard.

An Exhibit 10 contract means a training camp invite as they’re non-guaranteed deals and for the minimum salary. Walker will get $77,500 if he elects to play with the G League Maine Celtics for at least 60 days and doesn’t make the NBA roster.

Regardless, this is a low-risk move for the Celtics considering the non-guaranteed nature of the deal. The C’s do have an open roster spot as they only have 14 guaranteed contracts currently. But the organization has elected to keep that 15th roster spot open in the past few years, which appeared to be plan based on recent comments from C’s president Brad Stevens.

The 6-foot-4 Walker offers plenty to like entering his seventh season in the NBA. He was a one-and-done prospect coming out of Miami, so he’s still relatively young at 25. Walker also hit 38.4% of his 3-pointers last season on 4.7 attempts per game. He’ll have to fight to make the C’s roster throughout training camp, which will open in roughly a month.

Walker is betting on himself that he can stick with the Celtics. He also did the same thing last season with the Nets, signing for a minimum deal. Walker showed some flashes, averaging 9.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 58 games for Brooklyn last season. Walker was one of the better free agent guards still available, so it’s somewhat surprising he signed with a loaded C’s roster.

A big part of the Celtics’ strength as contenders is that they’re bringing back virtually the same roster as the title team. There are some differences for the bench, but the top-8 of the rotation returns to Boston. So playing time is going to be a premium for newcomers — especially for guys like Walker.

But the Celtics are clearly developing their bench players well, which could have been a contributing factor for Walker. On last year’s roster, depth guys who didn’t get consistent minutes found success elsewhere. Both Dalano Banton and Lamar Stevens had strong stints for their new teams after getting traded away. Guard Svi Mykahiliuk, who finished the season with the C’s, got a four-year, $15 million contract from the Jazz.

So, even if playing time isn’t necessarily there for Walker, sharpening his game behind-the-scenes for one of the best teams in the league can hold some appeal. If Walker does make the roster, he could provide some spark minutes behind Payton Pritchard, who’s coming off a career-best year.

Walker is also a luxury for the Celtics at this point considering the state of their roster. Big man Kristaps Porzingis had offseason surgery for his rare leg injury suffered in the NBA Finals, keeping him sidelined for the opening few months of the season. That means big man depth is a priority, which is why the C’s re-signed Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman. But an injury to a front-court player could necessitate signing another depth big man. So Walker isn’t a need, but he does up the competition level at camp.

The Celtics got at least a little stronger in having Walker be part of the organization with the Exhibit 10 contract. Even if he doesn’t contribute, he’s also an insurance option. Bottom line: the Celtics added a young guard on a non-guaranteed deal who has played in 322 career NBA games. As far as potential depth contributors go, that’s a solid signing at this point of the offseason.