Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[F Gump]

Does that mean they could have him on two way contracts for 3 years and then sign him to a standard NBA contract?  Or would he have to be signed to the NBA contract in year 3?

The 2-way rules have been ever evolving, but I think the current rule is you can only do 2 2-way years with a player (and it has to be in year 1, 2, or 3).  

But my point is broader. Once you sign a player to either 2-way or 15-man, you will have RFA rights (if you make a qualifying offer) when he is a FA at the end of the year if it's end of year 1, year 2, or year 3. That is your time of team control, during which you have an opportunity for developmental time at a minimum-salary-or-less cap cost. Once you start the 1st contract, the countdown clock is ticking. But after that 3 years, it's competitive bidding for his services so you'd better be able to have him ready to produce -- and you really need him to be very playable sooner than that, so you can get great value for your minimum-salary-or-less cap cost.