The Celtics extended Charles Bassey’s stint with the franchise on Wednesday, signing the veteran big man to a second 10-day contract.
Bassey’s initial 10-day deal expired on Tuesday, and NBA rules required Boston to fill his roster spot. His new contract covers the Celtics’ next six games: home dates against Oklahoma City on Wednesday and Atlanta on Friday, followed by a four-game road trip through Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and Milwaukee.
Bassey has played sparingly thus far (four total minutes in garbage-time appearances against Golden State and Minnesota), serving as a depth option in a Celtics frontcourt that lost top backup Nikola Vucevic to a fractured finger on March 6.
Vucevic is expected to return in time for the playoffs, and Boston has relied on Neemias Queta and Luka Garza in his absence, with Bassey and rookie Amari Williams rounding out the depth chart.
After spending the last three years in San Antonio, Bassey impressed for the Celtics’ Summer League team last offseason. The 25-year-old then spent training camp with Atlanta, landed 10-day contracts with Memphis and Philadelphia, and played 20 games in the G League before rejoining the C’s earlier this month.
“He was good for us in Summer League,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said on March 16. “I think any time you can just continue to build a relationship — relationships with the assistants, relationship with our language, with some of the stuff from Summer League that carries over to now — any time you can have that continuity, it helps you, especially in a short period of time. Just the ability for him to potentially be able to help us was huge.”