According to Jay King of The Athletic, the Boston Celtics are signing Hason Ward to an Exhibit 10 contract. Ward, a 24-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft after spending five years in college. He played his first two years at VCU and his final two at Iowa State.
In his final collegiate season with the Cyclones, Ward appeared in 28 games, playing 15.9 minutes per contest. He averaged 6.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 62.8% from the field. Ward only attempted 13 threes in his collegiate career, making none of them.
The move comes shortly after the Celtics waived big man Dmytro Skapintsev.
Celtics signing Hason Ward to Exhibit 10 contract, creating easy path to Maine
In all likelihood, the Celtics are bringing Ward on board to help fill out their G League roster for the upcoming season. At just 24 years old, Ward could turn into a project for Maine.
Maine traded Brandon Slater and Joe Wiesekamp to the Westchester Knicks in the deal that originally brought Skapintsev to town. Signing Ward to a training camp deal could be their way of trying to fill Maine’s roster at the forward position.
That said, Ward is a solid athlete, so there’s a chance the Celtics could look at him as a small-ball five in Maine, especially considering he’s not a great floor-spacer. At this point, he’s effectively a non-shooter. While that may be a skill the Celtics choose to work with him on, it’s just not a part of his game right now.’
The Celtics are signing Hason Ward to an exhibit-10 contract, per sources. The big man, who played high school ball at Central High School in Springfield, was on Iowa State’s Sweet 16 squad last season after starting his college career at VCU.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 16, 2024
Ward is also a local player for the Celtics. He attended Springfield Central High School in Springfield, Massachusetts.
According to NBA Scouting Live, some of Ward’s strengths are his finishing around the rim, his athleticism, and his ability to block shots. Meanwhile, some of his notable weaknesses include a lack of range while shooting the ball, the fact that he is a bit undersized to play the five, and his overall set of post moves.
There is a close-to-zero chance that Ward will make the Celtics’ 15-man roster heading into the year, as this move is almost certainly the team’s way of getting him on their G League roster.
Players who sign a training camp deal with a team and then go on to play for that organization’s G League affiliate receive a bonus.
Having Ward around for the last few days of training camp could be very helpful for the 24-year-old, and he’ll likely be a part of Maine’s roster this year.