Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said Sunday that Johnson won't be re-signed to a second 10-day deal after the veteran's contract expired Saturday, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reports.
Udoka left the door open for Johnson to potentially rejoin the Celtics at a later date if the league awards the team another hardship exemption, but for now, the 40-year-old's unexpected return to the NBA will end after he made just one two-minute appearance with Boston on Dec. 22. The brief stint with the Celtics marked Johnson's first NBA action since the 2017-18 season, when he suited up in 55 games between the Rockets and Jazz.
Celtics' Joe Johnson: Hits first bucket since 2018
Rotowire
Johnson entered the game late and scored two points in Boston's 111-101 home win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday.
The 40-year-old hardship signee hadn't scored an NBA bucket since May 26, 2018 as a Houston Rocket. Iso Joe entered the game with less than two minutes remaining and Boston nursing a 14-point lead. Hoopheads may remember that it was Boston who drafted Johnson in 2001 with the 10th overall pick.
Johnson signed a 10-day contract via hardship exemption with the Celtics on Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Johnson, who was drafted by the Celtics 20 years ago, hasn't played in the NBA since 2017. The seven-time All-Star has most recently been dominating the BIG3, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the NBA, he will get another stint in the NBA. Wojnarowski reports that the 40-year-old is expected to be available for Boston when it faces Cleveland on Wednesday night.
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