The Boston Celtics waived point guard Phil Pressey on Wednesday, hours before his contract was set to become fully guaranteed for the 2015-16 season.
Pressey latched on with Boston as an undrafted guard in 2013. He provided needed depth the past two seasons, but Boston's roster crunch finally caught up with him this summer.
Boston's roster last season featured 41 different players, but Pressey survived the entire year despite perpetual turnover on the back end. Pressey averaged 3.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 12 minutes per game while making 50 appearances last season.
Pressey could be a steady ball-handler for a team thin on point guard depth. He is a tenacious defender who often gave Boston a spark on the floor. Shooting remains the obvious concern with Pressey; he has worked hard to develop a consistent 3-point shot, but it hasn't translated in games (he's shooting 25.7 percent beyond the arc for his career).
Pressey's father, Paul, was an assistant on Doc Rivers' coaching staff in Boston and the younger Pressey was a familiar presence at the team's practice facility. It was that familiarity that helped Pressey earn a summer league invite after going undrafted and he played his way into a three-year contract that was non-guaranteed in the final two seasons.
When the Celtics selected three guards in the 2015 draft, including potential ball-handlers in Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, and Marcus Thornton, it became clear that Pressey would face an uphill battle to maintain his spot on a overstocked 15-man roster. Pressey's salary would have been modest for this season at $947,276, but Boston simply didn't have the space, at the moment, to carry him.
Pressey was much beloved by the coaches and management in Boston. His always-ready mentality was well regarded by Boston brass. In fact, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Boston Globe on Wednesday that, "Phil may be my favorite player I’ve ever been around in the NBA, as a player, a coach or as an executive."
Pressey attended summer league in Utah with the Celtics and expected to play, but with Boston still processing its summer moves, the team seemingly elected to keep him on the sidelines in order to prevent injury (and get more reps for the team's younger guards).
The Celtics currently have one other nonguaranteed player on the roster in Chris Babb, whose contract could be included when a deal that will deliver David Lee from Golden State if finalized. Boston continues to explore options for its cap space, which included trading for Oklahoma City's Perry Jones Tuesday, adding another guaranteed contract to Boston's roster.
