Celtics Lose 3-Point Specialist to Unexpected Contract with Trail Blazers

Celtics Lose 3-Point Specialist to Unexpected Contract with Trail Blazers originally appeared on NESN.
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The Boston Celtics didn’t have to let John Tonje get away.

But on Friday, Tonje signed with the Portland Trail Blazers. After one season with Boston, he’s heading west.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the news of a two-way contract with this post on X:

The Portland Trail Blazers are signing guard John Tonje on a two-way NBA contract, George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Tonje appeared in six games for the Celtics last season as a rookie.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 24, 2026

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Portland is betting that Tonje’s standout play in last season’s G League and this season’s Summer League can translate at an even higher level.

He’s originally from Omaha, Nebraska, and his college career took him from Colorado State to Missouri to Wisconsin.

Now 25 years old, Tonje was the No. 53 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. They never gave him a chance, though, and Tonje instead got six games with the Celtics as a rookie.

He finished his Summer League with a 14-point outing against the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

He averaged 14.8 points per game in the Celtics’ five games in Vegas, and he shot 45.2% from beyond the 3-point line, which is ridiculous.

Last season, his G League highlight was a night he dropped 42 points for the Maine Celtics, for whom he was a standout player all season.

It’s certainly a chance worth taking for the Blazers, and it could age poorly for the Celtics if Tonje approaches his potential ceiling.

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