The Boston Celtics have already made a notable call on John Tonje, and it sends the former Wisconsin standout into a very different kind of offseason.
According to NBA Insider Keith Smith, Boston chose not to tender a qualifying offer to Tonje, along with Max Shulga. That means both players are unrestricted free agents this offseason, free to negotiate with any NBA team instead of being tied to the Celtics.
- Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 30, 2026
For Tonje, that’s not necessarily a setback. In fact, it may give him a cleaner path forward.
If Boston had extended a qualifying offer, Tonje would have been a restricted free agent, which would have allowed the Celtics to match any outside offer. Instead, he can now shop his services around the league with no strings attached.
The move likely has more to do with Boston’s salary cap and tax management than any final judgment on Tonje himself. The Celtics still could bring him back, but now they’ll be competing with the rest of the NBA rather than controlling the process.
Tonje has already seen plenty of the league’s roster churn. He entered as a second-round pick of the Utah Jazz, then was included in a salary dump to Boston around the trade deadline. After that, he finally got NBA minutes and showed he could handle himself.
His G-League production also helped his case, and he spent time moving between the NBA and G-League on multiple 10-day and two-way deals. The next step now is simple: he gets to test the market.
He has at least one performance that stands out when given real run. In the one game where he played more than mop-up minutes, Tonje logged 30 minutes and finished with 13 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal. That’s solid work for a player fighting to stick.
He was also electric for the Maine Celtics, which only adds to the appeal for teams looking for a capable fringe player who can earn another two-way contract and get a shot in Summer League.
Now Tonje gets to see who wants in. And with the way these things can go, don’t rule out the Utah Jazz making a run at the player they originally drafted.
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