The Celtics are declining Ron Harper Jr.'s $2.6 million option and re-signing him to a three-year, $9 million contract, according to a report relayed to. The move turns a short-term roster decision into a longer commitment for a player who worked his way from a last September Exhibit 10 deal to a regular spot in Boston's rotation.
Harper Jr. appeared in 29 total games in the 2025/26 season and averaged 4.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 11.0 minutes per contest. He shot.418 from the field,.350 from three-point range and.750 from the free-throw line, production that helped him become a semi-regular member of the rotation over the final two months of the regular season.
The reported price is the only part that still feels unfinished. A three-year, $9 million deal works out to about $3 million per season, which is only slightly above a projected minimum for a four-year veteran and close enough that it is unclear whether Harper Jr. will actually make more than the minimum or whether the figure was rounded up. That leaves the structure of the contract more certain than the exact pay.
What is clear is that Boston is choosing continuity over a one-year option decision. Harper Jr. was promoted to a two-way deal before the 2025/26 season began and was converted to a two-year standard contract in early April, so the latest move keeps him on a longer runway after a season in which he gave the Celtics usable minutes. For Boston, it is a bet that the late-season version of Harper Jr. is the one worth keeping.
