Joe Johnson is back in the NBA

Utah Jazz forward Joe Johnson (6) drives on LA Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute (12) as the Utah Jazz and the LA Clippers compete in Game 6 of the NBA playoffs at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 28, 2017. Johnson will reportedly be signed by the Boston Celtics.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

As NBA teams scramble to fill their rosters during the surge in COVID-19 cases, most have turned to signing little-known players to 10-day hardship exception contracts.

But Wednesday morning, multiple outlets reported that the Boston Celtics will be signing seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson to a short-term deal.

The Celtics drafted Johnson with the 10th overall pick in the NBA draft 20 years ago.

Johnson, 40, has not played in the NBA since 2018 with the Houston Rockets (he was in training camp with the Detroit Pistons in 2019 before getting cut), when he appeared in 23 games.

Since then, he has been part of BIG3, a traveling 3-on-3 league. He won league MVP in both 2019 and 2021 (play was not held in 2020 because of the pandemic).

Johnson was named an NBA All-Star each year from 2007-2012 as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, and then again in 2014 as a member of the Brooklyn Nets.

His last notable season in the league came when he appeared in 78 regular-season games and was an important contributor in the playoffs for the Utah Jazz during the 2016-2017 campaign.