Celtics waive three, trim roster to 17 players

According to a team announcement Tuesday afternoon, the Celtics have waived three of their four camp invitees in Levi Randolph, Coty Clarke and Malcolm Miller, trimming their roster down to 17 players.

All but one of those remaining are under fully guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season—Corey Walden being the outlier—which means Boston still needs to cut two more guys before the regular season opener next week. And while Walden was the only camp invite to see a reasonable amount of minutes in the Celtics' first five preseason games, the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett reports he remains with the team largely to provide depth on the practice court. With Isaiah Thomas nursing a sore shin, Walden could be called upon to fill in for him as the team gets its reps in this week.

Bulpett also notes this coming Saturday as the deadline for which Danny Ainge hopes to have the roster set at 15 players—the maximum the league allows.

"Perry Jones still seems the most likely to be cut," Bulpett wrote. "... But before Jones is simply let go, the Celtics will explore trade possibilities that, if they come to fruition, could alleviate roster crunch through other means."

Bulpett didn't speculate what a potential move might look like, but, at this point, Ainge might have to get creative. Either way, it's unlike him to simply cut ties with a player, as Bulpett mentioned. Ainge sees the value in all his players and doesn't often walk away empty handed when he sends one on his way.

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