Celtics Signing Free Agent Former First-Round Pick to Affiliate Team

Nov 13, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) shoots the ball as Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) and forward Noah Clowney (21) defend during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics are bringing aboard a young former first-round draft pick to get some seasoning with their G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics.

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Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Maine is signing free agent former Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Keon Johnson.

Keon Johnson has been claimed by the Boston Celtics’ G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, sources told @hoopshype. Johnson is now fully healthy. He averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 79 games, including 56 starts, for the Brooklyn Nets last season pic.twitter.com/XzwyVmvoh6

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) November 30, 2025

An SEC All-Freshman Teamer during his one-and-done year with the University of Tennessee Volunteers, the 6-foot-5 swingman was selected with the No. 21 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He saw his draft rights traded from the New York Knicks to the LA Clippers in exchange for guard Quentin Grimes and future draft equity.

Johnson played sparingly with the Clippers before LA flipped him in February 2022 — along with an aging Eric Bledsoe, draft bust Justise Winslow and a future second-round draft selection to the Portland Trail Blazers for guard Norman Powell and forward Robert Covington. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Johnson was a throw-in component in the three-team deal that shipped out All-Star then-Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Johnson landed with the Phoenix Suns, along with wing Grayson Allen, center Jusuf Nurkic and guard Nassir little, but Phoenix cut him prior to the start of the regular season. He agreed to a two-way deal with Brooklyn in November 2023, and then returned to the club on a long-term, standard roster agreement in the 2024 offseason. He was cut this past September.

Per Dejan Gajic of Basketball Sphere, Johnson was being considered as an injury replacement addition for Serbian EuroLeague squad KK Crvena Zvezda ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Johnson's Encouraging Pro Start

Through 161 games over four NBA seasons with three franchises so far, Johnson boasts averages of 8.2 points on .379/.324/.765 shooting splits, 2.7 boards, 1.9 assists and 0.8 steals per.

The 23-year-old has looked pretty promising during his G League runs with the then-Agua Caliente Clippers (now the San Diego Clippers, LA's NBAGL affiliate) in 2021-22 and with the Long Island Nets (G League squad to the Brooklyn Nets) in 2023-24. In 33 regular season G League bouts (eight starts), Johnson holds averages of 17.7 points on .459/.369/.780 shooting splits, 6.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks a night.

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