Kofi Inkoom
The Boston Celtics are set to release Wenyen Gabriel before the regular season, a move reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Gabriel, an experienced four-year NBA player, spent the previous season with the Lakers, participating in 68 games and maintaining averages of 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds during 15.1 minutes of play each night.
Gabriel joined Boston during the training camp, following the trade of Robert Williams for Jrue Holiday, which depleted the Celtics’ frontcourt depth.
While it seemed he had an opportunity for a regular season roster spot, Gabriel was only granted a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, which offered no assurance beyond the preseason.
He was outperformed by Neemias Queta, a two-way player, during the recent month.
It’s noteworthy that Boston has typically maintained an open 15-man roster spot entering the regular season in recent years.
Apart from their 10 players with guaranteed salaries, the Celtics have Luke Kornet, Svi Mykhailiuk, Dalano Banton, and Lamar Stevens on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals.
DJ Steward is on an Exhibit 10 contract, and it appears likely that he will be released when Boston finalizes its regular season roster, with the other four players making the team. However, this has not been officially confirmed yet.
Regarding Gabriel’s future, it remains uncertain where he might land next. Since his contract with Boston didn’t include an Exhibit 10 bonus, he may not be an immediate candidate to join the Maine Celtics, the G League affiliate of the club.