Lonnie Walker to play in EuroLeague

Lonnie Walker to play in EuroLeague

After failing to make the Boston Celtics’ roster in preseason, guard Lonnie Walker is signing with Zalgiris Kaunas in the EuroLeague, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania first reported Wednesday.

Walker, 25, averaged 9.7 points on 42.3 percent shooting and 38.4 percent from 3-point range across 58 games with the Brooklyn Nets last season, where he appeared in 17.4 minutes per night. In his three seasons prior with the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, the athletic 6-foot-4 guard posted 11.7 points, 2.4 boards and 1.7 assists in 23.8 minutes on 42.3/34.2/81.5 shooting splits.

Walker originally signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics, who had one open roster spot leading into the new season. There was debate about whether they would fill that final spot right away due to tax reasons, but there weren’t many—if any—better options than Walker available, making the fit all the more intriguing.

He didn’t make the roster and cleared waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Lithuanian team he now joins includes Ignas Brazdeikis, Matt Mitchell, Deividas Sirvydis, and Brady Manek, among others. According to BasketNews, he reportedly drew interest from Real Madrid but elected to play in Lithuania instead.

While the NBA product may not be attractive, Walker’s talent having to play overseas calls for expansion. At some point, it will happen–it’s just a matter of when.

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