The Boston Celtics are signing former DePaul University standout Max Strus to a two-year deal with a partial guarantee for this season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Strus was initially signed to a two-way deal in the summer:
The Boston Celtics are signing two-way guard Max Strus to a two-year NBA deal, with a partial guarantee this season of nearly half of rookie minimum, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 13, 2019
Strus has reportedly been impressive in training camp and will battle for the final roster spot against Javonte Green:
Per source, Strus has been really impressive at Cs practices and in the running with Javonte Green for the final roster spot. Cs moved to make the partially guaranteed deal because Strus was willing to add a fully non-guaranteed year next season.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) October 13, 2019
According to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports, the Celtics could be maneuvering to use Strus' monetary guarantees as a way to still pay him while also opening up a two-way deal for rookie center Tacko Fall:
Not reporting, but my educated guess is Boston is giving Max Strus the equivalent to what he would have earned as a combination of his Two-Way time, plus NBA time. This allows the Celtics to honor their salary commitment to Strus while freeing up a roster spot to keep Tacko Fall.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 13, 2019
Fall was signed to the Celtics' Summer League squad in Las Vegas, and his impressive outing earned him a non-guaranteed deal with Boston. His rapidly increasing status as a fan favorite and some positive showings during camp may have earned him a two-way contract.
Fall's rise to prominence has truly been a spectacle to behold. Though he always drew national attention for his size (the Celtics measured Fall at 7-foot-5), his journey to the U.S. as a Senegalese immigrant was still masked given that he played for a mid-major program at the University of Central Florida.
However, Fall exploded onto the national scene when UCF squared off against Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Fall scored 15 points and recorded three huge blocks — one where he met Williamson at the rim — as the Knights lost one of the most thrilling games of the tournament.
The 23-year-old went undrafted this summer, but he continues to defy expectations as he looks to cement his place in the NBA.
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