BOSTON – Slowly but surely the Boston Celtics are filling out their training camp roster.
The latest addition to the mix is rookie Jabari Bird from Cal-Berkeley who becomes the second Boston Celtic to be signed to a two-way contract which is a one-year deal.
He joins fellow rookie Kadeem Allen whose two-way contract was signed last month shortly after the Celtics wrapped up summer league play in Las Vegas.
Boston has a confirmed 18 players slated for training camp - 14 with guaranteed contracts, Bird and Allen on two-way contract deals and camp invitees Andrew White III from Syracuse and P.J. Leak of Georgetown.
Two-way contracts are the latest wrinkle in the NBA’s efforts to give players more incentive to play closer to home rather than take their talents overseas if they are among those undrafted.
Players who sign two-way contracts can spend up to 45 days with an NBA team while the rest of their season will be spent in the Gatorade League.
The biggest reasons players often bypass the G-League (formerly the D-League) and play in another country, is the money.
Boston Celtics
While playing overseas has the potential to still pay more, the G-League is at least more competitive now in terms of salary. And with the prospect of seeing as many as 45 days in the NBA, that makes it a lot more attractive to players who are weighing the option of staying state-side versus playing outside the United States.
In the G-League, players signed to two-way contracts will make $75,000 and if they get called up to the NBA, they will earn the pro-rated rookie minimum which has the potential to earn two-way players more than $200,000.
This creates a potential win-win for the player who can get some experience in the NBA while earning a salary that is at least competitive to what they might earn overseas.
And the team’s, Boston’s G-League affiliate the Maine Red Claws as well as the Celtics, come out doing well in this arrangement as well.
The G-League team’s will likely attract talent that would have potentially played overseas, while NBA teams can get a closer look at players they see with potential but still need developing, and not have it count against their NBA-maximum for guaranteed roster spots which is 15.