March 15: Shulga’s standard contract is now official, the Celtics confirmed (via Twitter).
March 14: Celtics two-way player Max Shulga will be promoted to a standard contract that runs through the end of next season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Sources tell Brian Robb of MassLive that the deal will be non-guaranteed for 2026/27. Shulga will earn a prorated portion of the rookie minimum for the rest of the season.
The Celtics have been using a 12-man roster over the past two weeks in their effort to remain below the luxury tax line. They’re about to reach the season maximum of 28 days to be below the 14-man roster limit, so two additions have to be made by Sunday. A report earlier today stated that free agent big man Charles Bassey will be signed to a 10-day contract.
Promoting Shulga is advantageous for financial reasons because his rookie minimum salary won’t be subject to “tax variance.” His tax/apron charge will be much smaller than the prorated two-year veteran minimum that would have been imposed if the Celtics had signed a free agent. Boston is projected to be able to add a 15th player on the final day of the regular season without going into tax territory.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian guard signed a two-way deal in July after being selected with the 57th pick in last year’s draft. He has made brief appearances in three NBA games and has spent most of the season with the G League’s Maine Celtics, where’s he’s averaging 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game in 23 regular season contests.
Middle finger to Harper
Harper gets it on the Last Day. This is all for cap reasons. Harper has plenty of 2 way games left.
It’s a cap strategy to avoid tax penalties. Don’t worry.
Why didn’t they trade Simons for cap relief and a cheap C then?
Because that’s not how the cap works. They traded Simons for cap relief and Vuc. Now Stevens has been making these series of cap related specifically timed moves to avoid dipping back into the tax by the mere thousands.
What do you mean that’s now how it works? You could of offered Simons to Brooklyn for Highsmith to save money
Well in the example gave it would have required the Nets to have $20+ million in cap space, which they do not, and even if they did they would have asked for future draft compensation for paying the rest of Simons expiring contract.
They did. I’m not talking about right now….
I’m right so no need to respond
My bad, I thought you were asking sincere questions not just trolling!
I was asking a question. I just don’t understand trading for Vooch when you could trade Simons to Brooklyn or in a three team trade to get salary relief and something else. Queta and Garza were okay but Vooch coming off the bench for an expiring contract is redundant and not smart. Brooklyn and I think Washington had cap room to absorb salary.
Trading Simons for Vooch didn’t do anything for salary relief. Now they are being stingy. I do troll sometimes but you didn’t understand or i didn’t make my point clear enough my bad.
Trading for Vooch helped clear out a considerable amount of cap space and tax relief without having to include any future draft capital as Simons being an expiring himself had little value in that scenario. I understand your sentiment however it offer tax relief as well as a future TPE.
Grudging respect to Stevens for this series of moves. Trading for two second-round rookies, including one on a two-way, going 28 days with 12 guys, signing the 15th man on the final day of the season… clever shizz