Celtics won't retain Joe Johnson past 10-day hardship deal

The Celtics won’t retain veteran guard Joe Johnson past his first 10-day hardship contract, head coach Ime Udoka said, as relayed by Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Udoka believes Johnson could still sign another deal in the NBA, but Boston has received players back from health and safety protocols since signing him. Johnson only appeared in one game, logging just under two minutes and making his only shot attempt.

As Washburn notes (via Twitter), Boston would have to make another roster move to retain Johnson or lose additional players to protocols. The 40-year-old now enters free agency as an 18-year NBA veteran, owning 1,397 games of experience between the regular season and playoffs.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

• Scotiabank Arena, home of the Raptors, allowed no more than 1,000 fans for Toronto’s game against New York on Sunday, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. The Ontario government has set a maximum capacity of 1,000 fans for indoor sporting events as COVID-19 cases surge. Family and friends of players were allowed to attend the game, Berman adds.
• Pistons guard Derrick Walton Jr. is living his hometown dream by playing with the franchise, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. Walton, 26, is currently on a 10-day hardship deal with the organization.
• The Sixers appear to be ready to overcome adversity and compete for a championship, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. Philadelphia starts the likes of Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey when fully healthy, plus it could re-acquire Ben Simmons or receive value for him before the trade deadline.