The Boston Celtics will restore their roster to the league-required minimum by moving two-way guard John Tonje onto a standard 10-day contract, agents George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Boston had been operating with only 12 standard contracts since the trade deadline and needed to reach 14 before the end of the two-week grace period. Earlier Tuesday, the club also reached agreement on a 10-day deal with free-agent guard Dalano Banton, bringing the roster to compliance.
Draft status and trade background
Tonje, 23, was the 53rd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz and signed a two-way pact with Utah last August. He did not appear in an NBA game before being shipped to Boston at the trade deadline in a deal that sent Chris Boucher and a future second-round pick to the Jazz.
Cap considerations
Because Tonje still holds draft-rights rookie status, his 10-day agreement counts as a rookie minimum for luxury-tax and apron calculations. That places a $73,153 charge on Boston’s books, well below the $131,970 hit associated with a typical 10-day signing. Combined with Banton’s contract, the Celtics will add roughly $205,000 in salary and remain about $637,000 under the tax line.
The club is expected to carry 12 standard players again once both 10-day deals expire, then promote two-way guard Max Shulga and sign a veteran free agent to rest-of-season minimum contracts in mid-March. Under that plan, Boston would stay under the tax and still have room to add a 15th player on the final day of the regular season.
G League production
Although promoted primarily for financial flexibility, Tonje has produced in the NBA G League. He averaged 18.0 points and 4.1 rebounds on .467/.376/.928 shooting in 32 games for the Salt Lake City Stars, then scored 50 points across his first two outings with the Maine Celtics.
Source: Hoops Rumors
