The Celtics have officially announced the signing of Chris Johnson to a second 10-day deal. A source told Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald on Sunday that the small forward from Dayton was likely to stick with the team once his deal expired. Johnson is not to be confused with the LSU center by the same name who played for the C’s in 2010/11.
The 6’6″ 23-year-old fit right into the Boston rotation on his first 10-day contract, averaging 10.0 points in 26.8 minutes per game with a 15.7 PER. He’s already logged more minutes than he received over the course of two 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies last season. Johnson, a client of Pinnacle Management Corp., spent camp this fall with the Nets and was playing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League when the Celtics brought him in for a workout earlier this month. Boston signed him to his first 10-day deal shortly thereafter.
When his latest 10-day contract expires, the Celtics will have to decide whether to sign Johnson for the season or let him walk. They also have Vander Blue on a 15-day deal that expires Friday night, but with just 13 guaranteed contracts, they have room to keep both for the rest of the season if they so desire.