The Boston Celtics are preparing to host the Oklahoma City Thunder in a potential NBA Finals preview. The visitors, who already boast the best record in the league, will be at full strength for the first time this season. While Jayson Tatum is continuing to ramp up as the playoffs near, the only player Boston's without is Nikola Vucevic. The two-time All-Star is dealing with a fractured right ring finger.
Well before tip-off on Wednesday, the Celtics had to address another order of business. Charles Bassey's 10-day deal had expired. The franchise needed to immediately sign someone to a standard contract to remain at the league minimum of carrying 14 players on that arrangement.
What the organization chose to do was simply sign Bassey to a second 10-day deal.
What's next for the Celtics?
On Mar. 14, news arrived that Boston was bringing Bassey on board. The six-foot-10 center was a Summer League standout with the Sin City C's. In three games in Las Vegas, he produced 15.3 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per contest. He also shot 70.4 percent from the field.
The familiarity he gained with the organization during that time played an influential role in the Celtics signing him to his previous 10-day contract.
"He was good for us in Summer League," said Mazzulla before Boston's 120-112 victory vs. the Phoenix Suns. "Any time you can just continue to build a relationship, relationships with the assistants, relationships with our language, with some of the stuff from Summer League that's carried over to now, anytime you can have that continuity, it kind of helps you, especially in a short period of time. Just the ability for him to potentially be able to help us is huge. He was great for us in Summer League, and I think just having him on the roster for this time period will be good for us as well."
The same day the news broke about Bassey, Max Shulga reportedly was signing a two-year standard contract with the Celtics. That's why, after ping ponging between carrying 12 players on standard contracts for two weeks at a time and then adding two players on that agreement, the organization only had to fill Bassey's spot this time. They also had run out days where they could field a roster with fewer than 14 players on standard deals.
The simplest path forward was retaining Bassey. It's also a move that buys Boston time until it's safe to convert Ron Harper Jr. from a two-way deal to a standard contract. That will most likely happen at the very end of the regular season. That way, he only counts on the books for one game. He will also be playoff eligible at that point. It's all part of a precise process that will allow the Celtics to finish this league year below the luxury tax.