Celtics Waive Swingman To Make Room For Griffin

When the Boston Celtics signed free agent big man Blake Griffin earlier this week, it necessitated a move to clear a spot on the training camp roster. The victim is 5-year veteran wing Denzel Valentine. 

The Boston Celtics are waiving Denzel Valentine, per @JaredWeissNBA pic.twitter.com/zNSEzYdpU3

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) September 30, 2022

Valentine had been signed to an Exhibit 10 contract earlier in the summer, but with the Celtics' sudden need for some beef in the frontcourt due to injuries, the 6'4" guard/forward is the odd man out. The Boston training camp roster is now back to the maximum 20.

The 28-year-old Valentine could still land with the Celtics' G League affiliate in Maine. In 12 games last season with the team, he put up tremendous numbers at 14.6 points per game, 10.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 12 contests. 

Valentine was the 14th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, and spent his first four seasons there, averaging about 20 minutes per game, 7.4 points, 3.5 points and 2.0 assists. 

He spent last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers (22 games) and Utah Jazz (2 games), but only managed to get on the floor for an average of nine minutes per game, with 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds. 

The Michigan State product has also averaged 36% from long-range in his 256 career games in the NBA.