The Celtics signed 6-8 forward Taylor Funk to an Exhibit 10 contract this week, sources told CLNS Media. Funk turns 26 this season after a long college career between St. Joseph’s and Utah State. The signing likely sets the shooter up to join the Maine Celtics as an affiliate player after training camp and marks Boston’s 18th offseason signing out of a maximum 21.
Funk played for the Heat in Summer League and shot 5-for-19 (26.3% FG) from the field (4-for-17 3PT, 23.5%), drawing no free throws in four appearances. He shot 45.1% at Utah State, 37% from three, and finished his college career as a 42.7% shooter (35.7% 3PT on 1,004 attempts). A Lancaster, Pennsylvania native, he attended Manheim Central High School before committing to St. Joe’s as a three-star recruit in 2017.
Alabama, Florida, Miami, Arkansas, LSU and others expressed interest in him as a sixth-year senior, due to a redshirt season in 2020 caused by a hand injury, but he chose Utah State due to its similarity to Lancaster and to work on playing the four. That’s the position he’ll need to play at to reach the NBA, which he’ll likely do through the G-League.
Boston remains undecided on its third two-way slot after signing DJ Steward earlier this summer, but doesn’t offer many pro minutes to a player in that position regardless. The new collective bargaining agreement created that additional two-way slot, while Exhibit 10 deals still typically offer a bonus to waived players to become affiliate players in the G-League for a certain amount of time. Training camp begins early next month.
