The Celtics knew they drafted too many players, which is why they convinced No. 16 pick Guerschon Yabusele and No. 23 pick Ante Zizic to remain overseas and No. 58 pick Abdel Nader to sign with the D-League. That will allow Boston to maintain exclusive NBA negotiating rights on all three players.
But that still left three draft picks – No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown, No. 45 pick Demetrius Jackson and No. 51 pick Ben Bentil – joining the Celtics’ roster. There isn’t enough room for all three, and Bentil – the only one without a guaranteed salary – is getting the boot.
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:
Boston has released forward Ben Bentil, league sources tell The Vertical. Bentil could become waiver claim or affiliate option elsewhere.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 21, 2016
If Bentil clears waivers, Boston can assign his D-League rights to its affiliate. He would remain an NBA free agent. However, another team could claim him first, waive him itself and then assign him to its D-League affiliate. Whichever team waives Bentil last will be on the hook for his $250,000 guarantee. It’s also possible a team claims him and keeps into the regular season.
I’m not high on Bentil, who hogged the ball for a lot of bad shots at Providence. But he has talent, and I’d love him on my D-League team. It’s also not my $250,000 to spend.
Sadly for the Celtics, waiving Bentil was already expected. They still need to shed someone with a guaranteed salary to meet the regular-season roster max, and James Young and R.J. Hunter are the most likely to go.
Of course, Boston doesn’t want to lose one for nothing.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
As cutdown looms, the Celtics continue to offer James Young or RJ Hunter for a second-round pick, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 21, 2016
I believe Hunter is more valuable than a second-rounder in a vacuum, and Young also might be. But there’s limited incentive in preemptively trading for a player who will likely become a free agent otherwise. Sure, you get your pick of the two, and you avoid fighting other teams for him. But you also get him on a rookie-scale contract rather than what could be a cheaper deal.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Celtics trade one before they have to waive one, but they don’t have much leverage.