The NBA’s two-way market is still taking shape, and 13 teams are sitting with at least one opening as the 2026/27 picture starts to come into focus. The Knicks are the only club with multiple spots available, and they haven’t filled either one yet. The other 12 teams each have one opening left.
Two-way contracts give teams three extra players beyond the standard 15-man roster. Those players typically move between the NBA and G League, but they stay under team control and can’t be signed away by another team.
For 2026/27, a two-way deal will pay $678,882, which is half the rookie minimum. Players on those contracts can be active for 50 of their team’s 82 regular season games, unless the team is carrying fewer than 15 players on its regular roster.
In that case, the two-way group is limited to a combined 90 “under-15” games.
A couple of the open slots may already have destinations in mind, even if nothing is official yet. After the draft, separate reports said Carson Cooper had a two-way deal lined up with the Grizzlies and Rafael Castro was expected to sign one with the Bucks.
Memphis can’t actually finalize Cooper’s deal until it clears room, since the Grizzlies are already at the offseason maximum of 21 players under contract. They also have Richie Saunders sitting as an unsigned second-round pick, though there’s no clear read yet on what Memphis plans to do with the former BYU star, who is recovering from a torn ACL.
Castro’s situation is murkier. His deal still hasn’t been completed, and that could mean it has fallen apart, though nothing has been confirmed. If Milwaukee doesn’t end up signing him, the Bucks would still have that opening available for another player.
There are also several unsigned second-round picks who could be in the mix for two-way deals: Tyler Nickel of the Knicks, Bryce Hopkins of the Nuggets, Lajae Jones of the Warriors, Vsevolod Ishchenko of the Mavericks and Trey Kaufman-Renn of the Timberwolves. Dallas and Minnesota would need to make roster moves to add the latter two.
Ishchenko stands out as a possible draft-and-stash candidate. The 6’8″ wing played for Lokomotiv Kuban last season in his native Russia before joining Dallas for Summer League.
One other path remains on the table, too: a player on an Exhibit 10 contract can still be converted into a two-way deal if he turns heads in training camp. That only works for players who remain two-way eligible, meaning they have fewer than four years of NBA service.
In Other News...
Kyle Kuzma Just Got A Much Clearer Bucks Opportunity
The Bucks offseason picture is looking a lot cleaner now that Peyton Watson is off the board, and that matters for a roster still trying to settle its wing rotation. With the front office likely done making moves, Kyle Kuzma suddenly has a much more straightforward path heading into the season, with his starting small forward spot appearing secure for now.
Kuzmas case is about more than just opportunity, too. His defensive work last season graded out above average among wings, giving Milwaukee reason to believe he can handle a meaningful role on both ends as the rotation takes shape. For a team that has been sorting through combinations all summer, that kind of clarity at small forward is no small thing. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Just Reopened A Bucks Ending Fans Still Dream About
Giannis Antetokounmpo has once again given Bucks fans a reason to keep one eye on the past and the other on the future. In a podcast conversation, the former Milwaukee cornerstone said the city will always be in his heart and left open the possibility of a return after his time with the Miami Heat ends, even as he made clear that timeline is far from settled. It was the kind of comment that instantly pulls Milwaukee back into the orbit of a player who helped define the franchises modern peak.
For Bucks supporters, the emotional pull is obvious. Antetokounmpos Milwaukee rsum already includes two MVP awards, Defensive Player of the Year honors and the championship run in 2021 that ended the franchises long title drought. He stopped short of promising anything concrete, and his future in Miami is still unfolding, but even a loose hint of a possible reunion is enough to reopen a door plenty in Milwaukee have never really wanted to close. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Herro Brings One Huge Risk To His First Bucks Season
Tyler Herro arrives in Milwaukee with plenty of offensive upside, but the Bucks are also inheriting a player whose career has repeatedly been shaped by injury. Last season, an ankle surgery and other issues held him to just 33 games, a reminder that his availability can be just as important as his scoring for a team trying to maximize its new backcourt mix.
Health will be the biggest storyline around Herro from the start of his first Bucks season, because his production has always been tied to whether he can stay on the floor. It also adds another layer to the long view in Milwaukee, where how well he holds up could influence not just the teams on-court ceiling but the shape of future contract talks, making every stretch of availability matter even more. [Read more 🡒]