In late June, Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr. agreed to a three-year, $9 million contract extension, a massive accomplishment for a player who essentially started last season on a nonguaranteed training camp deal.
But tenser negotiations transpired later in the summer, when Harper was contacted by forward Paul George, who had been acquired in the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the 76ers.
Harper’s No. 13 was the matter at hand. George has worn 13 through most of his star-studded career, and Harper wore it last season.
“We don’t got to get into the exact details of how it went down, but about an hour after the trade I got a phone call saying he wanted the number, so me and him were able to work it out,” Harper said Tuesday, smiling. “We’ll have some funny conversations about that, for sure. But I’m happy he’s able to get back to his number and get back to being PG-13, for sure.”
It was Harper’s first number negotiation, and he said with a chuckle that it “benefits both parties.” He will switch to No. 8, in honor of his favorite player, Kobe Bryant.
Brown had become a mentor for Harper, and Harper said he was sad to see him go. But he also is eager to team up with George, and not just because the nine-time All-Star appears to have compensated him for his jersey number.
Harper, 26, said that George was the favorite player of his younger brother Dylan, the Spurs’ rising star, so when they were children, they frequently watched his Pacers games.
George also was Harper’s opponent during perhaps the biggest game of his career.
Harper earned a two-way contract before the start of last season and had it converted into a standard NBA deal in April. He became a rotation player, but his opportunities tended to come in blowouts or when the Celtics were significantly shorthanded.
Then on May 2, before Game 7 of the first-round playoff series against the 76ers, Harper arrived at TD Garden and was told by assistant coach Da’Sean Butler that he would start the game. Harper had started just three games during the regular season.
His stint lasted just four minutes, and the Celtics quickly fell behind, 11-4. Boston, which was without injured forward Jayson Tatum, went on to lose the game and the series, becoming the first team in franchise history to cough up a 3-1 lead.
But coach Joe Mazzulla’s vote of confidence in that essential matchup was not lost on Harper.
“It means a lot,” he said. “It shows that they believe in me at the highest level with it all on the line. So, it’s just replicating that trust back to them, that I trust in them and their plan for me.”
The Celtics’ plan for Harper became even more evident about two months later, when they signed him to the three-year deal. Now, for the first time as a pro, he enters an NBA season with stability and a guarantee.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity and that they believe in me and want me here long term,” he said. “It’s just motivation to keep getting better and keep proving them right, so that’s something I look forward to doing.”
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.