The Boston Celtics promoted Ron Harper Jr. from a two-way contract to a standard NBA deal, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Celtics had to make a roster move today to follow the NBA’s mandate of having 14 players on a standard contract. This comes after Charles Bassey’s second ten-day contract expired on Friday night.

Harper Jr. has played in 26-games with two starts this season, averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game and he has been part of the Celtics’ rotation at times during the season.

It’s worth noting that the Celtics remain under the tax after signing Harper Jr., as Spotrac’s Keith Smith points out that since it’s a multiyear contract rather than just a contract to get through the rest of the season, his cap hit will be equal to the prorated minimum of a three-year veteran and not a two-year veteran, totaling $123,045 for this season.

This move still allows the Celtics enough flexibility to add a 15th player to their roster before the end of the season without being a taxpayer, which is something they’ve worked towards this season.

Harper Jr. spent some time with the Maine Celtics back in 2024 after joining Boston for Summer League. From Maine as a G-League player, Harper signed a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons in January of 2025 and he set the Motor City Cruise franchise record for made 3-pointers in a game (7).

He rejoined the Celtics on a training camp deal this past offseason and eventually earned himself a two-way contract with the Celtics for this season.

This is another example of how the Celtics promote from within their own organization, as the program in Maine is truly used as a pipeline for Boston.