Boston Celtics Rumors: Tyler Zeller Waived, Voiding His Contract
Boston Celtics rumors indicate that the team has waived Tyler Zeller. By the Celtics waiving Zeller on July 2, the team gets out of paying him $8 million for the 2017-18 NBA season. This also makes Zeller a free agent, who is now able to sign with a team of his choice. A report by the Boston Globe confirmed this took place on Sunday, with the Celtics just beating the deadline which would have guaranteed Zeller’s salary for next year. The team had been trying to include him in trade offers, but just couldn’t fine the right deal.
The Dallas Mavericks selected Tyler Zeller in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft before trading him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jae Crowder, Jared Cunningham, and Bernard James. Zeller played two seasons with the Cavs before getting traded to the Boston Celtics in a huge three-team deal during the 2014 NBA offseason. After three years with the Celtics, it appears that team president Danny Ainge is ready to move in a different direction.
In 340 games (131 starts) for the Boston Celtics, Tyler Zeller averaged 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He has only averaged 17.8 minutes per game over his career, with that time on the court dipping in each of the last two NBA seasons. The Celtics simply had too much depth to give Zeller significant minutes, which is one of the two reasons the team is moving on without him. The other reason is that this frees up some salary cap space for the Celtics to pursue free agents or complete a trade that brings back a hefty salary.
We caught up with the Celtics’ three 2nd-round picks before they head of to Summer League. Learn all about them here https://t.co/HpIMF4C4F3
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 1, 2017
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Boston Celtics rumors have the team showing interest in free agent Danilo Gallinari. He could be a good wing player for the team if they miss out on signing All-Star Gordon Hayward. Some NBA analysts are stating that the Celtics appear to be in desperation mode after already missing out on Blake Griffin, Jimmy Butler, and Paul George since the offseason began. With the available free agent crop diminishing almost by the hour, the Celtics may need to go to a backup plan like Gallinari very soon.
The #Celtics have signed 2017 first round draft pick Jayson Tatum and 2016 first round draft pick Ante Zizic
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— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 1, 2017
Despite some misses in free agency and on the trade market, the Celtics appear to be in better shape for the 2017-18 NBA season than when the last campaign came to a crashing halt in the playoffs. Adding Duke forward Jayson Tatum in the 2017 NBA Draft gives the franchise a huge boost of momentum, but Danny Ainge still has a lot of salary cap space he wants to use on a “difference-maker.” Now that the Tyler Zeller situation has been settled, expect even more Boston Celtics rumors to surface on Monday (July 3).
[Featured Image by Jason Miller/Getty Images]
