The Boston Celtics made two roster moves on Sunday. First, they added big man Charles Bassey on a 10-day contract. The second move was to convert rookie Max Shulga from a two-way contract to a standard NBA contract. Boston made that decision as they’ve used up their allocated 28 days where they can be under 14 full-time contracts.
Following the decision to convert Shulga’s deal, fellow two-way player Ron Harper Jr. sent a two-word message to the young guard via Instagram. That message read, “Yes, Max!!!” celebrating his teammate's success and what that could mean for the next step in Shulga’s career.
Ron Harper Jr shows love to Max Shulga who signed a standard contract with the Celtics today on his Instagram Story
“Yes Max!!!” pic.twitter.com/KK8Dwwzkow
— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) March 15, 2026
Since being drafted with the 57th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Shulga has been with the Maine Celtics on a near-exclusive basis. When factoring in the Tip-Off tournament and the Showcase Cup, Shulga has played in 36 G League games during his rookie season. He’s averaging 15.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists, shooting 36.7% from deep and 42% from the field.
Harper Jr. still has a chance of seeing his own two-way deal converted before the end of the season. After all, he’s found a role for himself off Joe Mazzulla’s bench in recent weeks. Furthermore, he’s also begun cutting into Jordan Walsh’s minutes, proving that he’s on the verge of cracking Mazzulla’s regular-season rotation for the final few weeks of the campaign.
By converting Shulga, the Celtics have also addressed the lack of depth at the guard position. While Shulga will struggle to earn minutes behind Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, he could potentially pick up some playing time when Mazzulla looks to go deeper into his bench.
Nevertheless, the Celtics continue to maximize their G League affiliation with Maine, and Shulga is the latest talent to reap the benefit.
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