Ron Harper Jr.’s path to a guaranteed NBA contract was anything but straightforward.
After going undrafted, the Rutgers product spent the early part of his career bouncing between the NBA and G League.
Last season, after originally signing with Boston on an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, the Celtics signed Harper to a two-way contract. It was his fourth two-way contract with his third different organization (Toronto, Detroit).
In February, he made his first career start. In April, his two-way contract was converted to a standard deal. In May, he started a Game 7.
And now, he’s earned his first-ever guaranteed contract, a three-year, $9 million deal that will keep him in Boston for the foreseeable future.
“In August or September, if you were to tell me I would’ve started games for the Celtics, I probably would have told you that you’re lying to me,” Harper told WEEI.com shortly after his first career start. “So, this year has been really great.”
The 26-year-old appeared in 29 games for the Celtics (three starts), averaging 4.2 points (41.8% FG, 35.0% 3PT) and 1.7 rebounds in 11 minutes per game.
The numbers may not jump off the page, but it’s easy to understand why the organization is so high on the Rutgers product.
He defends at a high level. He’s a strong rebounder. He can shoot. And he’s a smart player.
“We all think Ron is one of the best players in the G-League. Whenever his opportunity was going to come, he was going to take advantage of it,” Brad Stevens said back in February. “He’s a stud. He’s a really good player. He’s been great for us now for a better part of two years, somewhere within our system.”
Harper was previously part of the Celtics’ Summer League team in 2024 and participated in training camp that fall. He began the 2024-25 season with the Maine Celtics before signing a two-way contract with the Pistons. The 6-foot-5 wing appeared in just one game with Detroit, spending most of his time in the G League.
When that deal expired, he returned to Boston, and now, he’ll remain moving forward.
