Celtics waiving Guerschon Yabusele: How do they plan to fill out the main roster?
The Celtics are expected to waive forward Guerscho Yabusele, which opens up a spot on the 15-man roster. Here are the possibilities for Danny Ainge.
Guerschon Yabusele of the Boston Celtics drives towards the basket during the second half of the game against the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden on January 09, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Pacers 135-108. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesBy Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Celtics are moving on from a former first-round pick. Forward Guerschon Yabusele is expected to be waived, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports.
Boston originally selected Yabusele 16th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. Only third overall pick Jaylen Brown remains from that class, where the C's also selected Croatian big man Ante Zizic at No. 23.
Waiving Yabusele opens up a spot on the Celtics' 15-man roster for 2019-20. The popular idea will inevitably be signing undrafted rookie Tacko Fall to the main roster, after what's been a fairly captivating Summer League for the 7-foot-6 center.
The Celtics have reportedly signed second-round pick Tremont Waters to a two-way contract, which means he wouldn't count against the 15-man roster. They've already used up their other two-way spot on DePaul guard Max Strus, whom they signed shortly after the draft.
Ultimately, the Celtics' open roster spot could go to veteran help for the frontcourt on a minimum deal. None of those options would be nearly as exciting as Fall, who has been impressive in Summer League action. But it's unrealistic that Fall would make nearly the same impact in the NBA, so it would still be a bit of a surprise if they granted him a spot on the 15-man roster.
It could be more realistic that they shift Waters to the main roster and sign Fall to a two-way deal. Otherwise, despite Yabusele's departure, it's going to be tough to make room for Fall when more experienced and skilled options are still available on the open market.
Would Timofey Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, or Tyson Chandler get you pumped for the season nearly as much as Fall would? Of course not. It's just the more realistic avenue for Danny Ainge at this point. On the other hand, Fall has probably played well enough to at least give the Celtics something to think about ahead of the season.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
