The contracts of Dalano Banton, Svi Mykhailiuk, Lamar Stevens, and Luke Kornet were all guaranteed by the Celtics.

The NBA has until Tuesday to choose whether to convert non-guaranteed contracts for the current campaign. The Boston Celtics decided ahead of time to apply it to the four players on their roster, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.

Now, Kornet is assured of the remaining $2.4 million on his deal before it expires. After missing more than a week due to a right adductor injury, the seven-foot-two center is playing some of his best basketball as a Celtic. He recently filled the stat sheet with a season-high 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in a 120-118 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Boston has signed Stevens, Banton, and Svi Mykhailiuk for slightly more than $2 million apiece.

By keeping them on the roster, the C’s little flexibility to arrange a trade before the deadline on February 8 is preserved.

They are primarily looking for a big wing, a position that President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens would love to fill internally. Oshae Brissett recently strengthened his candidacy for the position. However, their most valuable tool in achieving that goal is a $6.2 million traded player exception (TPE) that Grant Williams received.

Though it’s possible that one or more of these four players will be leaving the Celtics in the coming month, signing them wasn’t only done for possible future trades.

Banton can play and defend anywhere on the perimeter and is between six feet seven and six feet nine inches tall, depending on where you look. He also boasts a wingspan of over six feet ten inches.

He’s shown glimpses of what makes him a crucial component of Boston’s long rotation, known as the “Stay Ready Crew,” when given the chance.

“I don’t want to say what we do or don’t do,” he continued. I don’t want to say anything about males in black and white, but I’ve been really impressed with all of them. They’ve all arrived and performed admirably for us.”
The Celtics therefore have an open space, a $6.2 million TPE, sufficient of draft capital to acquire a viable target, and reasons to move ahead with each of the four players whose contracts they recently guaranteed, even if they will assess their external possibilities to bolster their squad.