As far as standard contracts go, the Boston Celtics will likely be set. Waiving Dalano Banton got them under the tax and gives them the bare minimum of players on standard deals. As far as two-way contracts go, Boston has two open spots, as Amari Williams has taken one. Two games into the Summer League, it's become clear John Tonje deserves one of the others.
Not much was made about Tonje when the Celtics first acquired him at the trade deadline. He was traded in exchange for Chris Boucher, who wasn't really working out for Boston anyway. Tonje didn't much much of an impact in Boston, but left a good enough impression for them to add him to their Summer League team.
Since then, Tonje has made it clear that he should stick around with Boston for at least another season. His first Summer League game as a Celtics was electric. Not only was his shot pure, but he more or less sealed Boston's victory over Toronto.
It's not like he single-handedly catapulted the Celtics past the Raptors, but it was hard not to notice the youngster showing out.
That only continued in his second Summer League game against Charlotte, where not only was his shot money, but his defense also proved stellar.
John Tonje with the steal and slam 💥
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2026
A big-time jam in NBA Summer League action!
CHA/BOS is LIVE in Q3 on ESPN2. pic.twitter.com/gJxGj0b33M
There's enough data for the Boston to believe he's worth keeping around on a two-way. That's what Summer League is all about, too. Finding that diamond in the rough who could be useful at some point.
That is, if a team doesn't want him on a standard deal
Even if the Celtics are paying close attention to what Tonje and the other players on their Summer League roster are doing, so are other teams around the NBA. Something that could motivate a competitor to take Tonje away is the fact that the Celtics have an impressive development team.
Since 2022, quite a few of their players evolved into capable NBA players, including Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, and Baylor Scheierman have all come into their own since the Celtics drafted them. Their development didn't immediately turned them into valuable cogs, but they gradually became one over time.
No one's saying Tonje will follow in their footsteps, but no one's not saying that either. Because teams may be scared of Boston's farm system, Tonje might be on a standard deal when the 2026-27 season starts.
At this point, it may be in their best interest to keep Tonje away from Boston just to prevent them from developing another gem.
Add us as a preferred source on Google