Saturday marked the end of contracts for the two newest Celtics, as 10 days are up for both John Tonje and Dalano Banton. As predicted, Boston let those 10-day deals expire, making Banton and Tonje free agents, but only briefly, at least in Tonje’s case.
The Celtics wasted no time in bringing Tonje right back into the fold on a two-way contract, just like he was originally on when they acquired him from the Jazz at the deadline in the Chris Boucher trade. Tonje was bumped up to a standard contract to be the 14th man on the roster, satisfying the NBA rule for a minimum number of players.
Now that Banton and Tonjes’ contracts have expired, the Cs are back to having 12 players on the roster and three two-ways in Tonje, Ron Harper Jr., and Max Shulga. Tonje has made a couple of appearances for the Celtics, including scoring the first points of his career on Friday night against the Nets.
Celtics must fill roster by end of season
But the Celtics certainly aren’t done making moves. League rules allow them to go another 14 days under the minimum 14 players, but on March 14th, the team will be out of days to be below. They’ll have to sign free agents or convert two-ways to the roster, and those moves will be for at least the rest of the season.
Shulga is an option because he’d be the cheapest on a second-round rookie minimum deal. Harper Jr. makes some sense as he has actually played meaningful minutes lately, and they may want him on the playoff roster. And Tonje is clearly a guy they like as well, who has shown a bit of promise recently after a couple of hot starts for Maine.
They can also, of course, look to the buyout and free agency market. I’m not intrigued by the names we’ve seen floated so far, like Lonzo Ball, Tyus Jones, Cole Anthony, and others, and I can’t imagine Brad Stevens is either.
Could Dalano Banton come back yet again?
There are other options out there as well, which may make more sense, and it may just end up being someone to sit on the end of the bench for a minimum contract to satisfy the rules. Maybe Dalano Banton even gets back in the fold and gets yet another deal to stay with the team for the rest of the season.
He obviously has some familiarity with the team and the organization, and he’s helpful as a deep backup point guard with a long, athletic, 6’8” frame. If nothing else, he gives the Cs a way to get Payton Pritchard off the floor in blowouts.
Either way, they’ve got some time to figure this out, but make no mistake, there are definitely more moves coming, and by March 14th, this roster is sure to look different yet again. Likely, for the last time this season.