Boston trims roster to 17, two more cuts to come by Monday


And then there were...17.

The Boston Celtics have trimmed their roster of all non-guaranteed contracts, leaving only the 16 fully-guaranteed deals and Ben Bentil's partially-guaranteed contract. This move, which was expected, unfortunately doesn't tell us much about what moves may be coming next, though with little reason to delay another cut save a potential trade or intense internal deliberation, we should see the final cut(s) in the next day or two.


At present, it's a near-certainty Bentil will be one of the two players cut, given his deal was designed to act as incentive to sign with the Maine Red Claws in the first place, but several other players, including James Young, R.J. Hunter, Demetrius Jackson, and even Gerald Green have been floated as potential options to cut to get down to the regular season roster limit of 15 players.  Interestingly, the timing of Bentil's deal may also be a ploy to prevent other teams from claiming him off waivers - if Boston waits until the start of the regular season (October 24th), any team that claims him will have to keep him for the season.

If no trade seems likely, the other cuts could come as soon as tonight, though the Bentil situation or a potential deal may delay roster finalization until a trade is made, or the first day of the regular season - whichever comes first. A delay may suggest a deal may be in the works, but given the dynamics of the situation (players likely to be cut can simply be picked up by other teams off wavers), such deals are not likely barring the inclusion of players unlikely to be cut from the regular season roster.

One way or another, something will have to give before the Celtics season opener versus the Brooklyn Nets on October 26th. Stay tuned for more news on the final roster composition - it shouldn't be long now until we know exactly who will be with us for the rest of the year.

Good luck to Damion Lee, Marcus Georges-Hunt and Jalen Jones, wherever your career may take you.


Jones photo via Matt Stone/Boston Herald
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