The Celtics are carrying an open two-way slot, and there’s a pretty good chance that it won’t be filled for another month or so, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Amari Williams and Dillon Mitchell currently hold two-way deals with Boston, and Robb suggests that the team wants to keep as much flexibility as possible heading into training camp.

He notes that several teams around the league have an excess of guaranteed contracts or logjams at certain positions, which means some attractive options may emerge in free agency. He points to Neemias Queta, who signed a two-way contract with Boston in September of 2023 after being waived by Sacramento, as the type of player who could become available.

Internal options to fill the opening include rookies Milos Uzan and Tucker DeVries, who will both be in camp on Exhibit 10 contracts and were part of the Celtics’ Summer League team. Looking at the roster, Robb sees a potential need for another ball-handler because of Mike Conley’s age, which could give Uzan an advantage.

There’s more on the Celtics:

• On the Big 3 NBA podcast (YouTube link, hat tip to Clutch Points), Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe says the Celtics should be willing to pay Payton Pritchard about $22MM per year in his next contract. Pritchard, who will make $7.8MM this season and $8.3MM in 2027/28, is currently extension eligible and is likely to receive a substantial raise. Washburn calls Pritchard “one of the league’s biggest bargains” and points out that the new contract would be easy to trade if the team ever decides to move on from Pritchard.
• The Celtics will introduce Paul George, Mitchell Robinson and Conley at a press conference on Tuesday, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. George was acquired from Philadelphia in the Jaylen Brown trade and will be counted on to help replace the production of the All-NBA wing. Robinson and Conley both joined the team as free agents and are expected to fill reserve roles.
• Jayson Tatum’s new signature shoe, which was announced this week, will include five lines on the right heel, Terada adds. The lines symbolize the scars on his foot following Achilles surgery. “Obviously this is my first full season, coming back from tearing my Achilles,” Tatum said, via Complex (Twitter video link). “What I had to learn and also accept that my experience is — anytime you go through something traumatic, you’re not the same. You just can’t be the same person anymore. That’s not saying that you’re any worse. It’s just different. I’ve even come to a point where I learned to appreciate not necessarily what happened but what it taught me from that journey and that process. So aligning that with the Tatum 5, it looks different than any other shoe.”