Ky Bowman “Auditioning For Everybody” On Two-Way Deal

Rookie point guard Ky Bowman has been one of the bright spots for the Warriors this season. As injuries have sidelined many of their stars and regular rotation players, the Dubs have leaned on Bowman, who signed a two-way contract during the offseason, and he has responded by averaging 8.3 PPG on .445/.403/.909 shooting in 27 games (22.9 MPG).

As impressive as Bowman has been, time is running out for the Warriors to continue enjoying his production on his two-way contract. Players on two-way deals can’t spend more than 45 days with their NBA teams, and Bowman’s agent tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that his client only has 13 NBA days remaining. That number will move to 12 after today’s game, as Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Unless Golden State plans to send him to the G League for an extended stretch, Bowman is on track to reach his 45-day limit next month.

There’s no doubt that the Warriors would like to find a way to get Bowman on their standard 15-man roster, where that 45-day limit would no longer be an issue. As Spears notes, head coach Steve Kerr has said he wants the former Boston College standout around even beyond this season.

However, Golden State will have to make a separate roster move in order to sign Bowman next month since the team is facing a restrictive hard cap and can’t currently add a 15th man. Waiving Marquese Chriss‘ partially guaranteed contract or trading a minimum-salary player without taking any salary back would create the necessary room. Then the Warriors would have to either agree to a multiyear deal with Bowman or simply convert his two-way contract into a one-year pact that would make him a restricted free agent next summer.

Bowman’s situation is similar to the one Danuel House found himself in last season for the Rockets. House and the Rockets had a contract standoff for several weeks after he had used up the 45 NBA days on his two-way deal — Houston wanted to do a multiyear minimum-salary contract while House wanted the opportunity to reach free agency at season’s end, where he could potentially earn more than the minimum. Eventually, the Rockets relented and converted House’s contract. Then, in the offseason, he re-signed with Houston as an RFA on a three-year, $11MM+ pact.

That sort of win-win outcome might appeal to both Bowman and the Warriors, but as long as he remains on his current one-year, two-way contract, the 22-year-old isn’t taking anything for granted. He tells Spears that he has appreciated the opportunity to play in the NBA for Golden State this season, since it has given him the chance to show the entire league that he can succeed at that level.

“It’s a good thing,” Bowman said. “I was able to showcase my skills just through the time I have been up. I have put pressure on them. But if you think about it, I’m not just auditioning for them, I’m auditioning for everybody. The opportunity I’ve had to showcase myself opens the door for the rest of my career.”