The Celtics put some more finishes touches on their roster on Thursday afternoon, announcing the signings of Tacko Fall and Javonte Green to the roster, along with the signings of Tremont Waters and Max Strus to two-way deals.
The biggest name that will excite fans on this list is Fall, who agreed to a contract last month with the C's ahead of summer league. There was a bit of a delay to make the signing official but that was not due to any uncertainty about his status with the team or the contract, per a source. Instead, Fall is set to compete for a roster or two-way spot during training camp on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal for the league minimum.
If he is waived before opening night (which is expected), he could collect up to a $50,000 bonus once if he spends 60 days with the Red Claws in the G-League. Ideally, the Celtics will hope they can spend a year developing him in Maine before he potentially has a chance to make an NBA roster.
Green, 25, emerged as a standout for the Celtics last week in Las Vegas, averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals in five summer Summer League contests. Danny Ainge spoke highly about the team's interest in Green last week.
"I don't know what is ahead in his future but he played really well for us in this summer too and he's proven he can find a good role in the NBA too if that's what he wants," Ainge said.
Green went undrafted out of Radford in 2015 but the Celtics have kept close tabs on him overseas for the past two years while playing in Germany for the same team Daniel Theis and Brad Wanamaker spent some time with before coming to the NBA. A league source indicated to BostonSportsJournal.com that Green turned down more guaranteed money overseas in order to get a chance to make the Celtics roster this fall. For now, he has the inside track on the 15th roster spot if the team does decide to carry 15 players into the year.
Tremont Waters and Max Strus will play on two-way deals as previously reported but it is certainly possible one of them could play their way onto the 15-man roster with a strong preseason. The Celtics have the ability to convert the deal if they keep a roster spot open once the season begins.
Strus, 23, joins the Celtics after spending two years at DePaul University, where he ranked third in the Big East in scoring in 2018-19 (20.1 ppg). In addition to his high scoring output, Strus finished second among conference competitors this past season in three-point field goals (113), while recording 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a shooting mark of 42.9% from the field (36.3% 3-PT) in 35 games (all starts).
An All-Big East Second Team member in 2018-19, Strus averaged 18.6 points (42.0% FG, 35.0% 3-PT, 82.5% FT), 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 66 collegiate games over two seasons with the Blue Demons. He went undrafted but agreed to a two-way contract with the team within 24 hours of draft night.
Waters started in all five of the team’s summer league games, recording 11.2 points (37.9% FG), 1.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals in 24.3 minutes. He scored in double figures three times, including a summer league-high 16 points in the team’s summer finale against the Grizzlies on July 13. The team agreed to a two-way contract with him shortly after selecting him No. 51.