Celtics waive forward Jabari Parker ahead of contract deadline

The Celtics opened up a spot on their roster Friday, waiving forward Jabari Parker. Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to report the move.

Parker first signed with the Celtics last April after the NBA trade deadline. He was expected to compete for the backup power forward spot in the preseason, a job that was ultimately won by Grant Williams. In a reserve role, the 26-year-old played in just 12 games for Boston this year, averaging 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds while playing just under 10 minutes per game.

Had Parker stayed with the Celtics beyond Friday, his $2.2 million dollar contract would have become fully guaranteed. By parting ways with him now, the Celtics save about $1.2 million against the salary cap and luxury tax.

Back in October, the Celtics did something similar with Parker, waiving him to save just over $500,000 against the tax. When he cleared waivers, the team promptly re-signed him. There's been no indication whether or not Parker will return this time around.

If Parker doesn't return, the Celtics would be left with an open spot on their roster. That should give president of basketball operations Brad Stevens more flexibility heading into the NBA trade deadline, which is just over a month away on Feb. 10.

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