Source: Celtics waive Abdel Nader

The Celtics have requested waivers on Abdel Nader, according to a league source. The news was first reported by Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports on Saturday.

Nader, 24, averaged 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 48 games during his rookie season with Boston. His contract was only guaranteed for $450,000 until August 1st, so the Celtics elected to cut loose the small forward now to open up a spot on the 15-man roster ahead of training camp. Nader underwent wrist surgery earlier this spring, which sidelined him for summer league. He is expected to be healthy for the start of next season for whatever team he ends up signing with.

BSJ Analysis: The Celtics rewarded the second-round pick with a four-year deal last offseason after a standout G-League campaign, but Nader’s production failed to translate during his rookie NBA season.

He shot respectably from beyond the arc (35 percent) but was miserable around the rim (44.7 percent) in his limited minutes. He put blinders on when he got into the paint, which didn’t help his cause either.

Defensively, things weren’t much better for the small forward. Nader has solid size and length at 6-foot-6, but he struggled with mental mistakes and staying with speedy NBA wings. There just isn’t much he does particularly well at the NBA level, and that’s not good news for a guy who is already 24 years old.

With Nader's odds of making the 15-man roster during training camp slim, the team elected to cut him now, saving about $900,000 on his salary for the time being. Danny Ainge could elect to fill that roster spot before the start of training camp with the taxpayer midlevel exception or a veteran's minimum contract. He could also leave it open to provide room for additional roster flexibility during the regular season.

Standing pat may be the more likely option at this point, given the lack of appealing talent on the open market and the depth of the current roster.