Now that LeBron James has finally made his decision and signed with the 76ers, that means the rest of the NBA can get on with their business. The proverbial dam is broken, which means the deals can start flowing, and the first one we saw was John Tonje signing with the Portland Trail Blazers on a two-way deal.
The Portland Trail Blazers are signing guard John Tonje on a two-way NBA contract, George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Tonje appeared in six games for the Celtics last season as a rookie.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 24, 2026
Tonje was a second-round pick last year by the Jazz and came over to Boston in the Chris Boucher trade ahead of the February deadline. Tonje thrived in Maine and was signed to 10-day contracts with the Celtics before ending the season on a two-way deal.
He was back with the team in Las Vegas and shined in the summer league, popping off the screen with his complete offensive game and silky smooth shooting. He looked like the kind of scorer who could someday make an impact for an NBA team off the bench as a combo guard, or something like that, and there was hope it could be for the Celtics.
But while Boston waits to sort out its roster, the Blazers have swooped in and poached Tonje away. He gets a well-deserved opportunity and a chance to carve out a long career in the NBA if he can break through in Portland. It’s a shame for the Celtics to lose one of their most impressive players from summer league, whom they’ve invested several months of development in, but it should clear up the two-way logjam.
Celtics have easy path to filling out two-way contracts
Before this move, there was a bit of a battle going on for the Celtics’ three available two-way contracts. Amari Williams, the second-year center, was given one, but didn’t have the best showing at summer league. Dillon Mitchell, the promising second-round rookie, certainly deserves one, but there’s a chance he could get a standard contract.
Milos Uzan was another standout in summer league who’s a rookie out of Houston and much more of a true point guard. The team looked great when he was on the floor, and he showed signs of being able to run an NBA offense. And then, of course, there was Tonje.
It always felt like there was going to be an odd man out or the Celtics were going to have to elevate Mitchell, but now, in a way, Tonje may have helped make the decision for them as they can continue to carry 14 players on the roster and give the two-way deals to Williams, Mitchell, and Uzan.
There are still other options, as there will be training camp and preseason to come. Maybe the Celtics are eyeing Tucker DeVries, maybe they like another player from the summer league roster, maybe it’s someone else from around the league altogether, or maybe this was the plan all along. Either way, thanks to Tonje’s exit, the decision is certainly a little bit easier.
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