Ron Harper Jr.’s here to stay in the NBA after agreeing to a three-year, $9 million contract with the Celtics
Last fall, guard Ron Harper Jr. signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Celtics, and the fourth-year pro appeared to be at a crossroads in his NBA career. He had played a total of 11 games over three seasons on two-way contracts with the Raptors and Pistons, and now was getting another opportunity in Boston, where he had been waived during training camp a year earlier.
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But Harper parlayed a strong training camp into a two-way contract, and his impressive play in the regular season led to his deal being converted to a standard NBA contract in April. And now, there are no more questions about Harper’s future.
On Saturday, a league source confirmed, the Celtics declined their $2.6 million team option for Harper and agreed to a three-year, $9 million deal with the 26-year-old who went undrafted in 2022 out of Rutgers.
“It’s just been really rewarding, knowing that the time I’m putting in, the effort that I’m putting in, doesn’t go unnoticed in the building by my teammates, my coaching staff, the front office,” Harper said in April. “But this year has just been really, really rewarding.”
Harper averaged 4.2 points and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 41.8 percent from the field last season. Coach Joe Mazzulla’s trust in him swelled as the year progressed, and Harper was chosen as a surprise starter for Game 7 of the first-round playoff series against the 76ers.
“[The Celtics coaches and executives] are just telling me that this is just a step in a long career,” Harper said in April. “So just go out there, keep doing what I’m doing, and the rest will fall in place.”
Harper is the son of 15-year NBA veteran Ron Harper Sr. and the older brother of Spurs rising star Dylan Harper.
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Assistant coach Amile Jefferson has been tabbed to lead the Celtics’ Las Vegas Summer League team, according to a league source. The Celtics will face the Raptors (July 10), Hornets (July 12), Hawks (July 13), and Kings (July 15).
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