Miles Norris was on a flight back from a G League game in Santa Cruz when he got the call:
Pack your bags. You’re heading to Boston.
Norris’ two-way contract with the Celtics offered both a new opportunity and a reunion for the 24-year-old wing, who had prior connections to both Boston’s roster (he played one season at Oregon with guard Payton Pritchard) and the New England area (he finished his high school career at New Hampshire’s Brewster Academy).
“I’m very excited,” Norris, who called the signing “a full-circle moment,” said after his first practice as a Celtic. “I’m just excited to be here. Very grateful for the opportunity. Excited to be in this organization. Great winning culture, so I’m just excited to be a part of this.”
The Celtics waived second-round rookie Anton Watson to sign Norris, who had been playing for Memphis’ G League squad. A rangy 6-foot-7 shooter, he ranked fourth in the NBA’s farm circuit in made 3-pointers at the time of his move, converting them at a 38.5% clip while averaging 17.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
“I think stretching the floor (is my biggest strength),” Norris said. “I shoot the ball really well from three. So spacing the floor, having those guys be able to attack in iso. I know we’ve got a lot of scorers on this team, so just being able to stretch the floor. I play defense, as well.”
After going undrafted out of UC-Santa Barbara in 2023, Norris spent most of his rookie season with Atlanta’s G League team and also played a stint in Turkey. He has yet to appear in a regular-season NBA game, and it’s unclear whether the Celtics plan to give him any playing time with the big club.
Watson only saw G League minutes with the Maine Celtics before his release, while fellow two-way players Drew Peterson and JD Davison have made occasional cameos for Boston. Players on two-way deals typically split time between both leagues, with limitations on how many NBA appearances they can make.
Tuesday was the deadline for NBA teams to sign players to two-way contracts.
“(We like) his length, his athleticism,” Mazzulla said. “He’s shown a decent ability to shoot the basketball. He played with Payton one year at Oregon, so we kind of know about him, so those things play into that. Obviously, the ceiling of, ‘Can we help him grow?’”
The Celtics were familiar with Norris’ game after hosting him for a pre-draft visit, and some of his best pro performances to date came against Boston’s G League outfit. On Feb. 10, he scored 24 points in a loss to Maine while going 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Norris also had a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double against the Baby C’s last season.
“I think I did pretty well against Maine’s teams, so that might’ve been the reason they were looking at me,” he said. “Other than that, I’m just excited to be here, ready to win a lot of games and do what I can to help the team win.”