When the Celtics added Payton Pritchard with the 26th pick in the NBA Draft Wednesday night, the writing was on the wall for Brad Wanamaker.
And it didn't take long for the guard's fate to be sealed, with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that the Celtics have declined a qualifying offer on the 31-year-old.
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SIGN UP HERE Wanamaker was a solid backup for the Celtics this season, and stepped up his game in the postseason when he averaged 16.1 minutes per game. He was also one of the league's best free throw shooters, hitting 92.6 percent of his shots from the charity stripe this past season.
Here's Chris Forsberg's take on the Celtics' decision:
The move signals the team is likely ready to let 2020 first-round pick Payton Pritchard and 2019 second-round pick Tremont Waters compete for a spot at the end of the point guard depth chart behind Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart. While unlikely, Wanamaker could still re-sign with Boston — similar to how he was retained last year — but the team not extending the qualifying offer allows him to see what’s available on the open market while the Celtics free a roster spot.