Dylan Harper made sure his brother felt the love the second the news broke.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Saturday that the Boston Celtics plan to sign Ron Harper Jr. to a three-year, $9 million contract. The team is declining his $2.6 million option for 2026-27 to make room for the longer deal. It’s the first guaranteed multiyear contract of Ron’s career, and it locks him in with Boston through the 2028-29 season.
Dylan, the San Antonio Spurs guard who went No. 2 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, didn’t wait.
Instant reaction from the younger brother
He grabbed the report and threw it on his Instagram story with a simple message: “Cmonnnn harppppp this just the beginning.” Two red hearts. A 100 emoji. That was it. No long essay needed.
For anyone who’s watched Ron Harper Jr.’s path, the moment hit different. He went undrafted out of Rutgers in 2022. From there it was two-way contracts in Toronto and Detroit. Then a training camp deal with Boston last offseason. Then a two-way. Then a standard contract in April after he’d been putting in work nobody was really watching.
The climb that mattered
Most of that grind happened in the G League with the Maine Celtics. Quiet nights. Long bus rides. The kind of reps that don’t make highlights. When he finally got real NBA minutes this season, he averaged 4.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 29 games for Boston. Three starts. A 27-point game against the Magic to close the year.
The new deal also helps the Celtics manage their cap situation as they shuffle through a busy offseason. But the structure here is solid: a guy who earned his way onto the roster now gets to stick around.
Both Harper brothers are sons of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr. That’s a lot of hardware in one family tree. Now there are two Harpers on active NBA rosters, and Dylan’s message made it clear he thinks this is just the start for his brother.
The Celtics haven’t formally announced the deal yet. But the Harper family is already celebrating.
Leave a Comment