Celtics must cut or guarantee Jabari Parker by 5pm Friday with league-wide guarantee date arriving

Is today Jabari Parker’s last day as a Celtic?

Is today veteran forward Jabari Parker’s last day as a Boston Celtic? Parker, a former No. 2 overall pick, was signed by the Celtics last season as something of a reclamation project, hoping to squeeze a little value out of the Duke product’s career, waylaid with multiple injuries and a notable lack of defense.

The team then re-signed him in the offseason with a partially guaranteed contract to give themselves a bit of a parachute should they want cap relief or to free up his roster spot. Inked for $2,239,544 with approximately half set to become guaranteed if he is not waived by 5pm ET today, there is a not-small chance Boston will have an open roster spot by the end of the business day.

If cap reasons are paramount to a team that looks very unlikely to make much noise in the postseason — and they should be — getting closer to skirting the tax this season is likely a priority for the team’s front office.

And as much as a missed coverage by Parker may confound fans, he has been a reliable source of microwave scoring off the bench when used in short spurts, so it’s not out of the question Boston retains him given he’ll only save them a fraction of a veteran minimum deal.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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