After declining his $2.6 million team option to clear the path for negotiating a long-term deal, the Boston Celtics have signed former Rutgers basketball standout Ron Harper Jr. to a three-year deal worth $9 million, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
This season, Harper appeared in 29 games for Boston and performed well overall despite seeing limited minutes. In those 29 games, he averaged 4.2 points on 41.8% from the field. He split time with Boston and their G-League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, this year. For Maine, Harper averaged 24.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the floor. He saw his time in the major leagues increase over the season and played relief minutes in the team’s playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Harper earned his opportunity after spending much of the past three seasons in the NBA’s G League, where he sharpened his skillset. Coming out of Rutgers in 2022, Harper was signed to a two-way contract by the Toronto Raptors, where he made his NBA debut, before getting waived in December of 2023. He then signed with the Boston Celtics on a two-way contract before signing a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons on January 6th, 2025. He was then resigned by Boston in August of 2025 on a training camp contract that turned into a two-way contract. His performance for the team last season turned that two-way contract into a full three year deal.
Harper Jr. left Rutgers basketball as one of the most legendary figures in the program’s history, highlighted by his buzzer-beating three-point shot to beat No.1 Purdue. He earned second-team all-Big Ten honors his senior season and was named an AP All-American honorable mention as well.
He now joins his brother Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey as former Rutgers players with a spot on an NBA roster.
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