Former Boston Celtics guard Max Shulga, who played 11 games with the team last season, is leaving the NBA and heading to one of European basketball’s biggest clubs after agreeing to sign with Spanish giants, Real Madrid.
The long-rumored move brings an end to Shulga’s brief one-year NBA stint and returns him to Spain, where he spent much of his youth before leaving for the United States to play college basketball.
Shulga’s Path To The Celtics
Born in Ukraine, Shulga moved to Spain at the age of 11 and developed through the country’s youth basketball system, before moving to American and beginning his NCAA career at Utah State. After three seasons there, he transferred to VCU, where he enjoyed a big campaign as a senior in 2024-25, averaging 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 38.7% from three-point range, and was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and First Team All-Atlantic 10.
Selected 57th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, Shulga’s rights were acquired by the Celtics on draft night in a deal that also saw them acquire the rights to Amari Williams and two future second-round picks in exchange for the rights to Noah Penda. Shulga initially signed a two-way contract with the Celtics, as is the norm for a late second-rounder, before earning a standard NBA deal during the 2025-26 season after impressing with the affiliate Maine Celtics in the G League.
Shulga’s NBA opportunities were limited, playing in only 36 minutes at the top level, but with Maine, he showed the range of offensive skills that got him on the radar in the first place. He averaged 15.4 points, 6.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game for the junior Celtics, while shooting 36.8% from beyond the arc.
The pay rise Shulga received from the conversation to the standard NBA contract, though, did not mean any greater job security. The Celtics – hoping to get back into title contention next year – both declined the 2026-27 team option on his new deal and also decided not to tender him a qualifying offer earlier this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. He subsequently joined the Golden State Warriors for NBA Summer League, where he was part of the team that won the Las Vegas title, but seemingly received no full NBA offer from them either.
Europe Should Suit Him Well
The next step will now therefore come with Real Madrid, who have been active in reshaping their roster this offseason, particularly in light of the Mario Hezonja adventure. Shulga will provide backcourt depth, ball-handling, playmaking and excellent catch-and-shooting for the team, but importantly, he also qualifies as a domestically trained player under ACB regulations because of his years spent developing in Spain, giving the club additional roster flexibility. (In the Spanish Liga ACB, teams must register at least four homegrown players for standard rosters of 10 to 12 players; they do not have to be Spanish, but do have to have spent a certain amount of time there in their youth.)
At 24 years old, Shulga arrives in Madrid with plenty of room for further development. Standing 6’4, he is capable of playing either guard position – especially at the lower level of athleticism found outside of the NBA – and built his reputation in college as a reliable shooter, playmaker and finisher. While he was unable to establish himself in Boston’s regular rotation, his performances in the G League suggested he could handle a much larger offensive role, or play off the ball if required.
Real Madrid have always regularly turned to players with NBA experience, because they can, and Shulga becomes the latest to make that move. Rather than continuing to compete for a two-way contract in the United States, he will instead join one of Europe’s most successful clubs, where opportunities to compete for domestic and EuroLeague titles are expected to come immediately. With no obvious weaknesses in his skill set (only his physical profile), Shulga’s game should comport well with Europe, and he may have just opened up a ten-year revenue stream.
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