Satch Sullinger was asked last week what his son Jared is doing, right now, and his voice curled into a shrug.

“I have no idea, man,” he said. “He’s working out in Toronto. That’s all I know.”

Satch, after coaching Jared in high school, and playing such an influential role throughout Jared’s life and basketball career, has a more distant relationship with his son now. The lines are never completely cut, of course. Satch said they still have “ways” of communicating.

Jared Sullinger turned 25 yesterday, and he’s already out of the league, traded along with the rest of his $5.6 million contract from Toronto to Phoenix, and then out into buyout limbo.

When Satch Sullinger talks about his son now, it’s with anger and third degree alarm. There’s a possibility that Jared could reunite with the Celtics this month if their need for rebounding help becomes so unbearable that Danny Ainge makes the call.

But Satch Sullinger doesn’t want to hear it. His son put on too much weight and fell out of shape again, this time with recovery from foot surgery exacerbating his lifelong conditioning problem. Not even a call from his original team is going to save Jared Sullinger from himself.

And his father now believes Jared must overcome these weaknesses before he can join another team, even the Celtics.

Told that the Celtics haven’t ruled his son out, Satch Sullinger said, “Not sure that would change anything for him. He has to make up his mind about what’s important But if you’re going to stand in the way of progress, then get out of the way. . . . All I know for sure is that the signs aren’t good. Even if Phoenix kept him, that wouldn’t have made it any better for him. He still has to face himself.

“As a dad, man, it hurts. But water seeks its own level. It’s up to him.”

Not every professional athlete enjoys the kind of support network that has surrounded Jared Sullinger since he was a child, from his parents to his older brothers, Julian and J.J. — both former college players.

They were all distressed enough by Sullinger’s weight gain in the summer of 2015 to hold a family intervention, introduce Jared to former NBA player and coach John Lucas, and send him down to the workout guru’s Houston gym for an extended stay.

So much for the intervention.

“It didn’t work. He just wasn’t losing weight, man,” Satch Sullinger said. “But now reality has hit him. Only you can change the image you have created for yourself.”

By last April’s first-round Celtics playoff series against Atlanta — a series in which a conditioned Sullinger could have made a difference — he weighed somewhere north of 315 pounds, and had trouble getting down the floor. He bet on himself by signing a one-year contract with Toronto, and was undone by foot surgery.

“Surgery hurt,” his father said, not in the mood for excuses. “But then he got healthy, and he started working out again.”

This time Jared Sullinger is working out without a net. He tweeted a picture of himself from the gym last week. A player of his talent could be in demand for a playoff-bound team, especially one in need of a rebounder.

“People are looking for players with his ability who can help,” Satch Sullinger said. “But you have to make a commitment to yourself before you can help someone else. You’re under pressure — under the gun.

“He’s a Sullinger — he can handle being under the gun. Most people who get cut and can’t get back in the league don’t have the talent, but that’s not Jared. He’s got the talent. Last year when he was at 300 pounds, he still managed to get 25 double-doubles.”

Mention of the Celtics brightens Satch Sullinger’s mood. Those not only were good times for his son, but for him as the father of an NBA player as well.

“I watch the Celtics and cheer for them hard,” Satch said. “I have a relationship with those guys now. I like (Jae) Crowder. I’d walk down an alley with him any day — him and Marcus Smart. That team has guys who play the right way — hard. If (Isaiah Thomas) was 6-foot-9, then let me tell you something. You know who I really admire? Tyler Zeller. When he hits the floor, he gives you just want you want.”

The message is clear. Satch Sullinger wants this level of consistency and commitment out of his sone.

“He’s not a child under my roof anymore — I can only do so much,” he said. “He knows I’m hurting, but it’s up to him now.

“He’ll wake up and smell the coffee now, but he’s taken it to the level of brinkmanship. It’s up to him.”

This week’s C’s timeline

Today, at Phoenix, 5 p.m. — The Celtics bounced from Friday’s game against the Lakers to this equally attainable game against the Suns. The last three stops on this road trip considered, the Celtics must start out strong here.

Tomorrow, at LA Clippers, 10:30 p.m. — The schedule maker laughs at this one. Far from allowing the Celtics to stay in Los Angeles for their two games against the Lakers and Clippers, the league flies them to Phoenix in between the two games. But the Celtics play well on the second night of back-to-back games.

Wednesday, at Golden State, 10:30 p.m. — The Celtics came out of here last year with the biggest win of the season. The Warriors still haven’t forgotten.

Friday, at Denver, 9 p.m. — The Nuggets are skilled and active up front with good shooting — precisely the combination that has given the Celtics the most trouble this season.