The Celtics have signed Wendell Moore Jr. to an Exhibit 10 training camp roster, sources told CelticsBlog. Moore Jr. was drafted 26th overall by the Dallas Mavericks in 2022 and has appeared in 90 NBA games since.
Playing for the Orlando Magic, he stood out at Summer League, averaging 13.8 points on 44% shooting alongside 6.8 rebounds and a steal.
“I showed that I deserved to be in this league,” Moore said at Summer League, per the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede. “I showed I can be one of the best
defenders out here. I can make shots, I can get downhill (and) play secondary lead guard, if needed. I showed I can do a bunch of things on the floor that can help teams win.”
The 6’5 guard has bounced around quite a bit since he was first drafted. He spent the first two years of his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and enjoyed stints with the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets last season. Most recently, he was on a two-way contract with the Hornets; in the G-League, he averaged 19 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists for the Greensboro Swarm.
Before he began his NBA career, Moore Jr. spent three years at Duke, averaging 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, while shooting 35.8% from three-point range. He turned 24 years old earlier this month.
The Celtics have now finalized their training camp roster
Along with Wendell Moore Jr., Kendall Brown, Jalen Bridges, and Ron Harper Jr will all attend training camp — which begins on Monday — on Exhibit 10 contracts.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed, one-year minimum salary deal that serves as a training camp invitation, giving teams the option to sign a player to a standard or two-way contract or to subsequently have them play for their G League affiliate. So, if a player is waived by the Celtics but ultimately signs with the Maine Celtics for at least 60 days, they are eligible for a financial bonus.
Ron Harper Jr has bounced around the NBA since 2022, when he went undrafted after a four-year career at Rutgers. He’s intimately familiar with the Celtics program, as he spent training camp in Boston last year and was on the Maine Celtics for much of the season before signing a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons.
Kendall Brown and Jalen Bridges are also familiar faces; both spent Summer League with the Celtics. Brown averaged 8.6 points and shot 69.2% from the floor, while Bridges appeared in 4 games, averaging 8 points on 44.4% shooting.
Both players were previously on two-way contracts; Brown has signed two-way contracts with the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets, while Bridges was on a two-way with the Phoenix Suns last season.
All four players — Harper Jr., Brown, Bridges, and Moore Jr. — are eligible for two-way contracts. Currently, the Celtics have their three two-way contract spots filled, with Amari Williams, Max Shulga, and RJ Luis all being under contract.
