Celtics to release former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker

The Celtics won’t guarantee Jabari Parker's full salary for the 2021-22 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Boston plans to waive the forward Friday.

Parker is the only player on the Celtics’ 15-man roster whose salary isn’t fully guaranteed for ’21-22. Releasing him will open up a roster spot, creating some added flexibility for the club with the trade deadline just over a month away.

Parker, the second overall pick in the 2014 draft, finished the 2020-21 season with Boston, then re-signed with the team at the start of the ’21-22 campaign. In 22 total games with the Celtics across two seasons, the 26-year-old averaged 5.3 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .512/.385/.864 shooting in 11.4 MPG.

The Celtics’ one-year deal with Parker would have paid him $2,239,544 for the full season. Instead, he’ll be owed $1,068,288, which is also the amount that will remain on Boston’s cap unless another team claims the forward off waivers.

Assuming Parker goes unclaimed, he’ll be free to sign with any NBA team. The Celtics, meanwhile, won’t be under any pressure to fill their newly opened roster spot right away, since they’re still carrying 14 players on standard contracts.