Celtics Sign John Tonje To Two-Way Contract
The Celtics have brought back John Tonje on a two-way contract, the team announced (via Twitter).
Tonje was acquired from Utah ahead of the last month’s trade deadline. He was on a two-way deal at the time, but was converted to a 10-day contract on February 19 to help Boston stay below the luxury tax line after the team made a series of cost-cutting transactions in February.
The 24-year-old’s 10-day deal expired overnight, but the Celtics quickly re-signed him to another two-way contract. Tonje made his Celtics (and NBA) debut last Tuesday, playing four minutes, and played another five minutes on Friday.
The 53rd overall pick in the 2025 draft, Tonje was selected by the Jazz last June and signed a two-way contract with Utah last August. He didn’t play at all at the NBA level before being included in the deadline deal that sent Chris Boucher and a future second-round pick to the Jazz.
As we wrote after the deadline, Boston specifically targeted Tonje in that trade because, as a draft-rights rookie, he counted as a rookie minimum player for tax and apron purposes when he was converted to a standard contract.
In order to stay out of the tax for the rest of the season, the Celtics needed one more rookie minimum player in addition to Max Shulga (who figures to be promoted later in the season). The team wouldn’t have gotten the same financial benefit by signing a rookie free agent due to the “tax variance” rule, which we explain in more depth in a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry.
As Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) first outlined, Boston likely plans to go another 14 days with just 12 players on the roster after these two 10-day deals expire, then will sign Shulga and a veteran free agent to rest-of-season minimum contracts in mid-March. That would give the club just enough breathing room below the tax line to sign a 15th man on the last day of the regular season.
Tonje, who played for Wisconsin last season, has played well in the G League this season. After averaging 18.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game on .467/.376/.928 shooting in 32 appearances for the Salt Lake City Stars, the 6’4″ guard has racked up 50 total points in his first two outings for the Maine Celtics.
Dalano Banton‘s 10-day contract with Boston also expired overnight. The fifth-year guard is now an unrestricted free agent.
John Poulakidas To Sign Two-Way Deal With Mavericks
Free agent wing John Poulakidas will sign a two-way contract with the Mavericks, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (via Twitter).
Poulakidas went undrafted in 2025 after playing four years of college basketball for Yale. He averaged 19.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 27 games as a senior last season and shot 40.2% from three-point range during his college career.
A 6’6″ shooting guard, Poulakidas signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Clippers in the fall, was waived before the regular season began, and has spent the 2025/26 campaign in the G League with the San Diego Clippers.
The 22-year-old got off to a relatively slow start in the NBAGL, making 13 Tip-Off Tournament appearances and averaging 8.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game while shooting 38.5% from deep. Poulakidas has played a larger role for San Diego since the regular season began, averaging 14.7 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 27 games (30.9 MPG) and shooting 47.3% from long distance on high volume.
Dallas will have an open two-way spot once the team officially converts Ryan Nembhard to a two-year standard contract. Assuming his deal is finalized in the next three days, Poulakidas will be eligible to be active for up to 12 regular season games for the Mavericks.
Warriors Notes: Porzingis, Curry, Santos, Richard
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he made a “stupid mistake” while discussing Kristaps Porzingis‘ health issues during an appearance Friday on a local radio show, writes Evan Webeck of The California Post. Kerr explained on 95.7 FM that Porzingis, who missed a fourth straight game on Saturday, has been suffering this week from a contagious illness that’s causing him to lose “a lot” of fluids. The Warriors coach said it’s not related to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), the condition Porzingis said last October that he had been diagnosed with.
During that radio appearance, Kerr referred to Porzingis having POTS as “misinformation,” explaining that he was relaying what he’d been told by Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh, who formerly worked in Golden State’s front office and traded Porzingis to the Warriors at the deadline.
“I called (Saleh) and I said, ‘Is this POTS story real?’ He said it’s actually not POTS. That was some misinformation that was out there,” Kerr said on Friday. “I don’t know if anybody’s asked him about it. Bottom line is whatever was bothering him in Atlanta that was keeping him out has nothing to do with the illness last week. He was just sick.”
A day later, Kerr walked back the comments he made during that radio interview, telling reporters that Porzingis is being afflicted by a “medical issue way beyond my capabilities of explaining.”
“It was a stupid mistake by me to talk about something that I’m not qualified to talk about,” Kerr added. “So I regretted even trying to discuss the diagnosis. That was my mistake. I need to leave that to the professionals.”
Porzingis has only made one 17-minute appearance for the Warriors since the trade, but Webeck states that he returned to practice on Friday and Kerr said he’s feeling better.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Stephen Curry said he’s not quite ready to return in an interview during the telecast of Saturday’s game, relays Angelina Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area. He missed his 10th straight game due to runner’s knee. “It’s going to be a little longer, but, like I said, right now with this one, it’s just about each day,” Curry told ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “Can you stack good days, and I’ve done that, so hopefully they can unleash me on the court soon, and like I said, get back out there sooner than later.”
- Gui Santos, who signed a three-year extension on Saturday, said it’s a result of doing what the Warriors have asked of him, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. Santos has been able to work his way into the starting lineup after being drafted with the 55th pick in 2022. “I think the key word for that is patience,” he said. “Because when I got here, I was a point guard. Playing back in Brazil was like playing as a point guard, having the ball in my hand. Then I spent the whole year in the G League just learning how to fit in the system here. Because my goal always was playing in the NBA, playing for the Warriors. And I asked them what I got to do to do that, and they said, ‘We’re gonna give you the way. You got to play hard on defense, you got to be crashing the boards all the time, and you just got to find Steph — it’s easy.’ So I said, ‘All right, I’m doing that.’ I was just working at that in my first couple years.”
- The Warriors’ injury list grew longer when guard Will Richard was forced out of Saturday’s game with a sprained right ankle, the team announced (via Twitter).
Wizards Notes: Young, Davis, T. Johnson, Reese
The Wizards‘ rebuilding effort took an unexpected turn with trades for Trae Young in January and Anthony Davis in February. Injuries have kept both players on the sidelines so far, but the presence of two multi-time All-Stars has raised expectations for next season, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
“We’re already talking about the playoffs, how different it will be,” Bilal Coulibaly said. “We were talking about it with Trae and AD this morning. They’re just talking to us a lot about all that stuff. We’ve never been there, so we don’t know what it looks like. But we can’t wait.”
However, the four NBA scouts that Robbins consulted are less confident about Young and Davis being able to turn the franchise around. Both players drew limited interest on the trade market before Washington was able to acquire them at a discount price, and the questions surrounding them – Young’s defensive deficiencies and Davis’ susceptibility to injuries – aren’t going to go away.
“Trae’s defense is of paramount concern,” one scout told Robbins. “He’s coming to a team that’s horrific defensively by the numbers. I don’t care if you’re developing players or trying to win games — you can’t be that bad defensively and think, ‘Oh, we’re just going to get these guys and be better.’ We know Trae’s terrible (on defense), and I get the theory of bringing in AD. But AD’s not the AD he was three, five or seven years ago.”
There’s more from Washington:
- In a pregame session with reporters, coach Brian Keefe said Kyshawn George, Tristan Vukcevic and Tre Johnson were all on minutes restrictions Saturday against Toronto, Robbins tweets. George sat out Thursday’s game with a knee contusion, Vukcevic was listed on the injury report with a left hip impingement and Johnson’s playing time has been limited since returning from a sprained ankle.
- Johnson proved himself as a scorer in college, and now the Wizards want to develop his skills as a play-maker, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). “We’re going to continue to put him in situations to grow. I think he can do that really well,” Keefe said. “We’ve seen his play-making this year, attacking the basket and when they put two on the ball he can hit (teammates) with either hand. I think he’s going to be a really good creator off the dribble.”
- Washington appears to have immediate plans for forward Julian Reese, who signed a two-way contract earlier today, Hughes adds (Twitter link). “He’s going to give us some physicality inside with his rebounding,” Keefe said. “He’s a great rebounder so we added some insurance underneath on the boards. We’re excited to have him.”
Darius Garland Expects To Play Monday
Darius Garland is targeting Monday night’s game at Golden State to make his Clippers debut, according to NBA on Prime insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
Garland hasn’t played since January 14 due to left toe injury management and a right great toe sprain. He appeared in 26 total games with the Cavaliers before being traded to L.A. on February 4 in exchange for James Harden.
Garland’s toe issues date back to last year’s playoffs and are among the reasons Cleveland decided to part with him. He missed four games in the 2025 postseason, including two home losses to Indiana that contributed to the Cavs’ second-round exit.
The Clippers view the 26-year-old Garland as a better option for their future than Harden. He’s more comfortable in a faster-paced game and provides some financial stability with a contract running through 2027/28 and salaries of $42.2MM and $44.9MM over the next two seasons.
A two-time All-Star, Garland has still put up solid numbers in his limited playing time this season, averaging 18.0 points and 6.9 assists in 30.5 minutes per night with .451/.360/.861 shooting splits.
L.A. has rebounded from a disastrous start to post a 27-31 record and holds a five-game lead over 11th-place Memphis in the race for the West’s final play-in spot. After parting with Harden and Ivica Zubac in separate deals, the Clippers will head into the postseason with a younger and faster roster than they had at the beginning of the season.
Khris Middleton To Finish Season With Mavericks
Khris Middleton has decided not to pursue a buyout and will remain with the Mavericks for the rest of the season, sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
To be eligible to appear in the playoffs with another team, Middleton would have needed to finalize a buyout with Dallas by the end of the day on Sunday. He was considering his options earlier in the week, and the Mavs indicated that they were willing to negotiate a buyout of his $33.3MM expiring contract if that’s want he wanted.
The Nuggets and Spurs were mentioned as teams that had interest in Middleton if he became available, and there would likely have been numerous other suitors. He would have been eligible to sign with anyone except the Cavaliers, Warriors and Knicks because they’re operating in apron territory and aren’t permitted to add a player waived during the season who had been earning more than the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
There was “pessimism” in Denver this week that Middleton could be lured away from the Mavericks, according to Stein’s sources (Twitter link).
A buyout would have resulted in the loss of Middleton’s Bird rights, which transferred when he was acquired from Washington at the trade deadline. Although Middleton is almost certain to get a sharply reduced salary next season, having his Bird rights in place could help him land a contract above the veteran’s minimum.
With a small number of teams possessing cap space for the offseason, Middleton could have value in a potential sign-and-trade deal, suggests Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
Middleton, 34, has been productive with Dallas in his seven games since the deal, averaging 13.9 PPG with .485/.364/.893 shooting numbers. He’s made five starts and is logging 24 minutes per night.
Johni Broome Undergoes Partial Meniscectomy, Will Be Reevaluated In Four Weeks
Sixers rookie Johni Broome underwent a partial meniscectomy on Saturday to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, the team announced in a press release. His condition will be reevaluated in four weeks.
Broome, the 35th pick in the 2025 draft, suffered the injury last Saturday while playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in a G League game. He was considering several treatment options and ultimately decided that surgery to repair – rather than remove – the meniscus was his best choice.
The 23-year-old center/power forward has made 11 brief appearances for the Sixers, but he’s seen regular playing time with Delaware, averaging 21.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals on .463/.287/.656 shooting in 26 games (32.8 minutes per contest).
Broome, a former star at Auburn, signed a four-year standard contract and has a guaranteed $2.15MM salary for next season. His $2.5MM salary for 2027/28 is non-guaranteed, and the Sixers hold a $2.7MM team option for 2028/29.
Two-Way Player Jules Bernard Waived By Timberwolves
The Timberwolves have waived two-way guard Jules Bernard, the team announced in a press release. The 26-year-old just signed with Minnesota on Wednesday and will still receive the rest of his prorated two-way salary, giving him a nice bonus on top of his G League salary.
Bernard has spent the season with the Wolves’ G League affiliate in Iowa, averaging 22.6 points on 42.5% shooting, including 34.6% from three-point range, and 80.4% from the free throw line. He’s also contributing 6.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 34.5 minutes per game.
Bernard was in training camp with Minnesota on an Exhibit 10 contract, but was waived shortly before the start of the season.
His only NBA experience came on a two-way deal with Washington during the 2023/24 season. He appeared in 19 games and averaged 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per night for the Wizards.
The move leaves the Timberwolves with a roster opening ahead of Wednesday’s cutoff date for signing players to two-way deals. Rocco Zikarsky and Enrique Freeman occupy the team’s other two-way slots.
Joel Embiid Out At Least Three Games With Oblique Strain
Sixers center Joel Embiid will miss the next three games with a strained right oblique, relays Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
The team issued a statement saying Embiid underwent an MRI Saturday morning that revealed the injury. Philadelphia will play Sunday night at Boston before hosting San Antonio on Tuesday and Utah on Wednesday. Embiid will be reevaluated following the back-to-back.
Embiid was experiencing pain in his midsection during Thursday’s win over Miami, according to Adam Aaronson of Philly Voice. He briefly went to the locker room after inadvertently being hit by Kel’el Ware, but was able to return and hit a clutch three-pointer in the final minute. Coach Nick Nurse didn’t have an update for reporters after the game, and Embiid left before the locker room was opened to the media.
Embiid wasn’t able to participate in this morning’s practice, Aaronson adds, which prompted the MRI.
Embiid appeared in two games this week after being sidelined since February 7 due to knee and shin issues. He has been available for 33 of the Sixers’ 59 games this season, averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 31.2 minutes per night with .495/.318/.858 shooting numbers.
Johnny Juzang Signs With Zenit BC
Fourth-year wing Johnny Juzang, who was waived by the Timberwolves 10 days ago, has signed a contract with Zenit BC, the Russian team announced (via Twitter).
Juzang’s deal with the St. Petersburg-based club covers the rest of the 2025/26 season (hat tip to Sportando).
A Los Angeles native who played three years of college ball (one at Kentucky and two at UCLA), Juzang went undrafted in 2022. He spent his first two NBA seasons on two-way contracts with Utah prior to signing a multiyear standard contract with the Jazz in August 2024.
Only the first season of Juzang’s contract with the Jazz was guaranteed, and he was cut in June 2025. He wound up signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Minnesota for training camp and was elevated to a two-way contract after impressing during the preseason this past fall.
The Wolves released Juzang after he reached his 50-game active limit. The 24-year-old only actually saw action in 21 of those contests and was a DNP-CD in the other 29. Juzang played more than 10 minutes just once in 2025/26 and logged 88 minutes in total, rarely playing outside of garbage time.
Juzang appeared in 123 games (16.0 minutes per contest) over four NBA seasons, averaging 6.9 points and 2.2 rebounds on .421/.358/.785 shooting splits. This is his first international stint.