Celtics waive four players

CSNE

BOSTON — As expected, the Boston Celtics have trimmed their roster down to 14 now that all four of their training camp invitees have been waived.

Damen Bell-Holter, Kammron Taylor and DeShawn Sims had been waived earlier, with Chris Babb joining them on Saturday.

There's a chance that all four could wind up with the Celtics' D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

Boston informed each of the four players and their representatives that they are interested in keeping them in the Celtics pipeline with the Red Claws.

However, all four will consider other options such as playing overseas or possibly latching on with another NBA team, although the latter seems unlikely.

One of the wrinkles within the league's most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement allows teams to send up to three players cut from training camp, to their D-League affiliate.

The one catch is that the rights to those players can not belong to another D-League team.

Taylor, Bell-Holter and Babb can each be assigned to the Red Claws under this provision.

The fourth player, Sims, last played in the D-League for the Red Claws (2011, D-League rookie of the year) so he too can play with the Maine club if he wants.

Boston's decision to waive all four players comes as no surprise considering the potential luxury tax implications if they were to add a 15th player.

"Right now we're barely under the luxury tax so we have no choice," said Danny Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations. "If there's deals made later in the year and that opens up roster spots, opens up to keep us under the tax ... but we will stay under the tax this year."

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