Celtics Navigate Roster Moves While Staying Under Luxury Tax

The Celtics made a pair of roster moves Sunday, officially signing center Charles Bassey to a 10-day contract and promoting guard Max Shulga from his two-way deal.

As written by Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors, the moves bring Boston back to the NBA’s required minimum of 14 players on standard contracts.

Teams are only allowed to carry fewer than 14 players for 14 days at a time and 28 total days over the course of the season. Boston had reached both limits after operating with a 12-man roster since March 1.

The Celtics have been carefully managing their payroll after moving salary before the trade deadline to slip below the luxury tax line.

Since then, Boston has added several players on short-term deals, including Dalano Banton, Bassey and draft picks promoted from two-way deals.

Promoting players such as Shulga helped the Celtics avoid additional tax penalties because rookie-scale contracts carry smaller cap charges than veteran minimum deals.

Boston is currently about $293,000 below the tax line, giving the team some flexibility to keep its roster filled through the final weeks of the season.

Bassey’s 10-day deal runs through March 24. Once it expires, the Celtics will need to either re-sign him or add another player to maintain the league’s 14-man minimum.