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Bucks Sign Jaylin Galloway To Two-Way Contract

March 3rd, 2024 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 3: Galloway’s two-way contract is now official, according to an announcement from the Bucks.

MARCH 1: The Bucks intend to sign Australian wing Jaylin Galloway to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal will cover the 2024/25 season in addition to the rest of ’23/24, reports Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter link).

Galloway, 21, has spent the last few seasons playing for the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League. In 2023/24, he appeared in 22 games for the team, averaging 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 22.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .545/.338/.592. The athletic 6’7″ guard/forward also has real defensive upside, as Sam Vecenie of The Athletic tweets.

Marc Stein reported earlier this week that Galloway, who played for the Timberwolves’ team in the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League, was generating NBA interest and was a candidate to come stateside before the end of the regular season.

The Bucks have one open two-way slot alongside TyTy Washington and Ryan Rollins, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to create room on the roster for Galloway.

The deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract is March 4, so the Bucks will have until Monday to officially finalize their deal with Galloway. Once it’s done, the team will have a full roster, with all 15 standard spots and three two-way slots filled.

Lakers Sign Harry Giles To Two-Way Contract

March 2nd, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 2: The Lakers announced that they’ve signed Giles and waived Windler (Twitter link).

MARCH 1, 8:30pm: A team source tells ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that Windler will be released to make room for Giles, who will join the Lakers on Monday (Twitter link).

MARCH 1, 7:17pm: Free agent big man Harry Giles is signing a two-way contract with the Lakers, agent Daniel Hazan tells Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).

As Charania observes, the Lakers are a little thin in the frontcourt due to injuries to Christian Wood (knee swelling) and two-way center Colin Castleton (right wrist fracture). Castleton hasn’t been in the rotation as a rookie this season, but it’s possible he may have gotten a chance with Wood out.

L.A. currently has Castleton, Skylar Mays and Dylan Windler on two-way deals. One of them will have to be waived in order to make room on the roster for Giles.

A former first-round pick, Giles returned to the NBA in 2023/24 after missing two full seasons due to knee injuries. He signed a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract with the Nets, earning a spot on the team’s regular season roster and then having his full salary guaranteed when he remained on the roster through January 7.

Giles played sparingly in Brooklyn, appearing in 16 games and averaging just 5.1 minutes per night. He posted 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in his limited role.

The 25-year-old forward/center was a roster casualty last month, with the Nets waiving him to complete a trade before the deadline.

As our glossary entry on two-way contracts shows, in the 2023 CBA, the league and the players’ union agreed to implement what is informally known as the “Harry Giles rule.” Prior to signing with Brooklyn, Giles had been on an NBA roster for four seasons, but missed the entirety of his 2017/18 rookie year due to an injury, so he had only actually played in an NBA regular season game in three separate seasons.

The new rule allows Giles – and any other player who has four years of NBA service but missed one or more of those seasons due to an injury – to sign a two-way contract. That’s how Windler was able to sign two-way deals with the Knicks and Lakers as well.

Spurs Sign RaiQuan Gray To Two-Way Deal, Cut Diakite

March 2nd, 2024 at 3:05pm CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 2: The Spurs have officially signed Gray and waived Diakite, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).

MARCH 1: The Spurs are signing free agent forward RaiQuan Gray to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Mamadi Diakite will be waived to create a roster opening.

The 59th pick of the 2021 draft out of Florida State, Gray signed a two-way deal with Brooklyn at the very end of last season, posting 16 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and one block in his lone NBA appearance in 2022/23. That one game means he’s now in his second season.

Gray signed a training camp deal with the Spurs in the fall and was waived before the ’23/24 season began. He has been playing for the team’s G League affiliate in Austin, averaging 18.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.9 APG and 2.1 SPG on .629/.353/.780 shooting in 19 regular season games (29.4 MPG).

Diakite, 27, is in his fourth NBA season, having made previous stops with the Bucks, Thunder and Cavaliers. The Guinea native made three brief appearances for the Spurs this season.

Spurs Promote Barlow, Sign Bouyea To Two-Way Deal

March 2nd, 2024 at 3:04pm CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 2: The Spurs have officially promoted Barlow to the standard roster and signed Bouyea to a two-way contract, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.

MARCH 1: The Spurs are converting Dominick Barlow‘s two-way deal into a standard contract, agent Todd Ramasar tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

San Antonio will fill Barlow’s former two-way spot by signing free agent guard Jamaree Bouyea, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Barlow went undrafted out of the Overtime Elite league in 2022 and caught on with the Spurs that summer, signing a two-way contract. The 20-year-old forward/center re-signed with San Antonio last offseason, inking another two-way deal.

Barlow has appeared in 51 games with the Spurs over the past two seasons, averaging 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per contest. San Antonio had an open spot on its standard roster, which means no subsequent roster move is necessary to promote Barlow.

Bouyea, 24, has appeared in 11 NBA games with the Heat, Wizards and Trail Blazers over the past two seasons, averaging 2.3 points in 11.6 minutes. While he struggled in his limited run with Portland in 2023/24, the former San Francisco star has been on fire in the G League of late, averaging 29.3 points, 11.3 assists, 9 rebounds and 2.3 steals over his last three games, per Charania.

Bouyea, who went undrafted in 2022, has spent most of his first two professional seasons with Miami’s NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Sixers Sign Jeff Dowtin To Two-Way Contract

March 2nd, 2024 at 1:00pm CST by Tristan Tucker

1:00pm: The Sixers have put out a press release officially announcing Dowtin’s two-way deal.

10:45am: The Sixers are signing guard Jeff Dowtin to a two-way contract, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Philadelphia opened up a two-way roster spot by waiving Kenneth Lofton on Friday.

Dowtin, 26, has played 34 games in the NBA since the 2021/22 season, making appearances with the Warriors, Bucks, Magic and Raptors. Most of his big league experience came last season with Toronto, where he averaged 2.4 points and 1.2 assists per night and made a positive impression as the team’s primary backup at the point down the stretch.

Dowtin has been more productive in the G League throughout the course of his career. This season, he has been playing with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate in Delaware, averaging 17.1 points, 5.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 47.5% from the floor and 37.5% from three in 17 regular season and Showcase Cup appearances.

Dowtin joins Ricky Council IV and Terquavion Smith as Philadelphia’s two-way contract players. The Sixers also have two open standard contract spots after Darius Bazley‘s 10-day contract expired on Thursday.

Raptors Re-Sign D.J. Carton On Two-Way Contract

March 2nd, 2024 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

After his 10-day contract with the team expired earlier this week, guard D.J. Carton has returned to the Raptors on a two-way deal, the club announced today in a press release.

Carton has spent nearly his entire professional career in the G League since going undrafted out of Marquette in 2021. After one year with the Greensboro Swarm, he has spent the past two seasons with the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s NBAGL affiliate.

In 29 games this season for Iowa, Carton averaged 18.6 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 35.4 minutes per contest, with a strong shooting line of .527/.395/.796.

That performance earned him a call-up to the NBA on a 10-day deal with the Raptors on February 21. He appeared in two games with Toronto during those 10 days, scoring eight points and handing out a pair of assists in 11 minutes of action.

The Raptors opened up a two-way slot on their roster by promoting Javon Freeman-Liberty to a standard contract on Friday night — Markquis Nowell and Jontay Porter are the team’s other two-way players.

Following Carton’s signing, Toronto now has 17 of its 18 total roster spots filled, with one standard spot still available.

Nets Sign Jacob Gilyard To Two-Way Contract

March 2nd, 2024 at 11:30am CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 2: Gilyard’s two-way deal is now official, according to an announcement from the Nets.

MARCH 1: The Nets intend to sign former Grizzlies point guard Jacob Gilyard to a two-way contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Gilyard was previously on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies, but Memphis waived him last week in order to sign Jordan Goodwin.

Players on two-way contracts can only be active for 50 NBA games in a season. Gilyard was nearly at the 50-game limit, and the Grizzlies had a full 15-man standard roster. Instead of promoting him and having to waive someone from the standard roster, they decided to cut ties.

Gilyard, 25, was a college star at Richmond before going undrafted in 2022. He signed a two-way deal with Memphis at the end of 2022/23, appearing in one game as a rookie. In 37 games this season, he averaged 4.7 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 42.5% from deep in 17.7 minutes per contest.

On Friday afternoon, the Nets used a portion of their mid-level exception to promote rookie forward Jalen Wilson to a multiyear standard contract. That opened up a two-way spot, which Gilyard is set to fill.

Mike Muscala Signs With Thunder

March 2nd, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 2: Muscala has officially signed with the Thunder, the team announced today in a press release.

MARCH 1: Veteran center Mike Muscala intends to sign with the Thunder for the rest of the season after he clears waivers on Friday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Muscala was bought out and placed on waivers by the Pistons on Wednesday.

The move represents a reunion for the two sides, as Muscala played in Oklahoma City from 2019-23. He initially joined the team as a free agent in 2019, then re-signed in ’21 and again in ’22 before being sent to Boston at last season’s trade deadline.

Muscala appeared in 168 games during his initial run with the Thunder, averaging 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per contest. He’s a big man who is capable of stretching the floor, having made 37.6% of his career three-point attempts, including 39.2% during his three-and-a-half seasons in OKC.

After being traded from the Celtics to the Wizards in the three-team deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Boston last summer, Muscala began this season in D.C. and then was on the move again in January when the Wizards dealt him to Detroit.

In 37 total games for the two lottery-bound Eastern Conference clubs prior to this week’s buyout, the 32-year-old averaged 3.8 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 13.8 MPG. Although Muscala’s three-point percentage on the season is just 31.8%, that number has been on the rise in recent weeks — he made 38.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc in 13 games with the Pistons.

The Thunder have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so they won’t need to cut anyone to make room for Muscala.

It will be the second move made in recent weeks by the team to bolster its frontcourt — Oklahoma City also added Bismack Biyombo via free agency last month. Biyombo and Muscala will provide depth and bring different skill sets to a frontcourt led by Rookie of the Year candidate Chet Holmgren.

Hornets Sign Bolden To Two-Way Contract, Waive Mensah

March 2nd, 2024 at 9:37am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Hornets have signed center Marques Bolden to a two-way contract, according to a release from the team. To create a roster spot for Bolden, Charlotte waived two-way center Nathan Mensah.

Bolden recently spent time with the Hornets on a 10-day contract, which was ended early to make room for Aleksej Pokusevski on the 15-man roster. He appeared in one game with Charlotte. The 25-year-old has also had NBA stops in Cleveland and Milwaukee. He spent part of this season on a two-way deal with the Bucks, but only appeared in two games.

Bolden played three seasons at Duke, averaging 3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 88 career collegiate games (24 starts). He has been the most productive in the G League, where he’s averaged 13.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 55.6% from the floor and 39.7% from deep in 31 regular season and Showcase Cup games with the Wisconsin Herd.

Mensah signed with the Hornets on a two-way contract in December after joining the team in training camp. He immediately carved out a small role, playing about 40 combined minutes in his first two career games and averaging 16.1 minutes from early to late January. However, his role diminished as time went on and he was nearing his active-game limit, prompting Charlotte to make the move to Bolden. In 25 games with the Hornets, Mensah averaged 1.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocks.

The Hornets have 15 players on standard contracts and all three of their two-way spots are filled. Bolden joins Amari Bailey and Leaky Black as the Hornets’ two-way players.

Sixers Waive Kenneth Lofton Jr.

March 1st, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

10:02pm: Lofton has been released, the 76ers confirmed in a press release.

9:45pm: The Sixers intend to waive Kenneth Lofton Jr., who is on a two-way contract, reports Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (via Twitter).

A burly forward/center, Lofton went undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2022. He caught on with the Grizzlies, signing a two-way contract before being converted to a standard deal at the end of his rookie season in 2022/23.

Lofton became the victim of a roster crunch in Memphis when the team needed to open up a roster spot to activate Ja Morant following the completion of his 25-game suspension. He was released in December, signing a two-way deal with Philadelphia a few days later.

After averaging 5.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG while shooting 52.7% from the floor in 24 games (7.3 MPG) as a rookie, the 21-year-old has struggled in his brief NBA minutes this season, averaging a combined 2.4 PPG and 1.1 RPG while making just 34.9% of his field goal attempts in 17 games with Memphis and Philadelphia (6.4 MPG). He only played two games for the 76ers, having spent most of his time with the Delaware Blue Coats, their NBA G League affiliate.

In 10 regular season games with the Blue Coats, Lofton put up big numbers, averaging 27.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.8 BPG on .577/.324/.746 shooting (29.8 MPG). He was named to the NBAGL’s Up Next Game, but wound up being replaced last month due to an injury.

Philadelphia has two openings on its standard roster and will have one open two-way spot once Lofton is officially released.