Celtics Linked To Intriguing Lakers’ Impending Free Agent Guard

One NBA writer believes Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonnie Walker IV would be a good fit for the Boston Celtics.

Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report named Walker IV as the Celtics’ most ambitious free-agent target.

“Lonnie Walker IV is a breathtaking open-floor athlete who can also get to his pull-up jumper at will against a set defense,” Hughes wrote. “Ask Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors how tough it can be to handle Walker when he’s on a heater. The 24-year-old guard isn’t much of a passer, but he also doesn’t give the rock away, ranking in the 86th percentile among wings in turnover rate this past season. Walker averaged 18.2 points per 36 minutes in 2022-23 and sits at 16.9 for his career.

“Walker started 32 games for the Los Angeles Lakers this past season and has provided timely playoff help. He made $6.5 million on the one-year deal he inked with L.A. and may have priced himself out of Boston’s range, which tops out at the mini-midlevel exception of $5 million. But we’re being ambitious, and Walker’s aggressive, decisive style could cure what ails the Celtics’ offense.”

Walker IV averaged 11.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists for the Lakers this season while shooting 44.8% from the field, 36.5% from beyond the arc and 85.8% from the free-throw line. The Miami product helped the Lakers win Game 4 of the 2023 Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors by scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter.

“I’ve been shooting a lot of shots my entire life,” Walker IV said after that game. “So I got a lot of confidence in myself. I know my value. I know what I’m capable of doing. And by the grace of god and a lot of hard work and sacrifices and time in the gym, the fruition kind of came today.”

The Celtics need another dynamic scorer next to All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and Walker IV fits that bill. Let’s see if Boston takes Hughes’ advice and signs Walker IV this summer in unrestricted free agency.