Drew Peterson, who spent a year and a half with the Celtics and was a restricted free agent, has signed a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday night.
Former Celtics forward Drew Peterson has agreed to a two-way NBA deal with the Charlotte Hornets, agents Mike Silverman and Troy Payne of Equity Sports tell ESPN. Hornets’ Charles Lee coached Peterson in Boston two seasons ago.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 15, 2025
Peterson signed a two-way contract in Boston in the middle of the 2023-24 championship season and was also a two-way player last year. But he was a restricted free agent this summer, and the Celtics did not extend him a qualifying offer. His fate was likely altered when Boston traded the No. 32 pick for the No. 46 and No. 57 picks in the draft, thereby walking away with two second-round picks in need of a two-way contract in Amari Williams and Max Shulga.
In two seasons, Peterson appeared in 28 games for the Celtics, averaging 2.3 points per game on 44.7% shooting, and converting 42.1% from three. But, he never got a substantial on-court opportunity, and only found himself in the rotation in a handful of games.
On the Hornets, Drew Peterson will reunite with former Celtics coaches
Peterson will see several familiar faces in Charlotte, as head coach Charles Lee was the Celtics’ lead assistant when Peterson was a rookie in Boston. The connections don’t end there; Peterson spent most of that rookie season with the Maine Celtics playing under Blaine Mueller, and Mueller is now one of Lee’s assistants in Charlotte.
Last month, before the draft, Peterson told CelticsBlog / CLNA Media that he was working toward securing a standard contract.
“I’m hoping to just show my worth and show that I can play out there,” Peterson said. “And I was happy with the stints I got this year, and to really show, I can compete in these high-level NBA games. So the goal is always progressing in that regard. So we’ll kind of see what happens with that.”
Peterson also said he hoped he would re-sign with the Celtics.
“I love it here,” Peterson said. “It’s been a great couple of years, and I hope to be here for a long time… I can’t speak better, how much I love being in Boston.”
