Shortly after the Boston Celtics took care of the Washington Wizards in a 111-100 victory, Shams Charania of ESPN announced that Boston will be signing Max Shulga to a standard two-year contract. Shulga was previously on a two-way contract that he signed with the Celtics after they selected him 57th overall in the 2025 Draft (via the Orlando Magic).
Max is a 24-year-old 6’4 wing out of VCU, with an excellent three-point shot. He has only appeared in four games for Boston this year, most recently seeing just one minute of court time against the Wizards mere hours before inking his new deal. In fact, he’s only played six total minutes with Boston, and has just one shot attempt, which he missed.
Shulga has spent most of his time with Boston’s G-League counterpart up in Maine where he has been very productive. In 34.5 minutes per game, Max has averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks, all while shooting 43.8% from the floor and 39.6% from beyond the arc on 6.5 three-point attempts per game.
He’s scored as much as 35 points in a game (13-19 on field goals, 6-11 from three), and has career-highs of 9 rebounds, 14 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. He has clearly shown his skill as a shooter, which Boston will surely look to utilize in the future, but his passing game will be an underrated addition.
Along with Shulga’s standard deal, the Celtics also announced that they will be signing Charles Bassey to a 10-day contract earlier today.
By making both of these signings, Boston gets back in roster compliance before tomorrow’s deadline by having 14 players on standard deals, the league minimum. Since Shulga was drafted by Boston, his pro-rated contract ends up being even cheaper than if the Celtics were to sign a veteran to a standard minimum contract. This helps them stay under the luxury tax, and opens the door for them to reset their repeater bill next year if they see a path to doing so while remaining competitive.
For those wondering, this does not prevent the Celtics from converting Ron Harper Jr. to a standard contract before the end of the year. They will likely do that on the final day of the regular season to keep the cap hit to a minimum, while ensuring that he is eligible for the playoffs. Shulga’s signing also opens up a two-way spot for the team, which they will likely fill in the coming days.