The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to a two-way contract with free agent guard C.J. Wilcox. The former Washington Husky previously played for the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Clippers.
C.J. Wilcox was drafted with the 28th overall selection back in the 2014 NBA draft by the Clippers.
He averaged 18.3 points per game on 45-39-87 splits during his senior year at Washington. There has been little impact on the NBA front for Wilcox since he has entered the league.
Free agent guard CJ Wilcox has agreed to a two-way deal with Portland, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 9, 2017
The 26-year-old shooting guard comes to Portland with low expectations. This does not mean Pat Connaughton will not be retained, as Wilcox will man one of two G-League affiliated two-way contracts.
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Each NBA team is allowed two slots (for two-way deals) with their standard 15 NBA roster spots.
Explaining Two-Way Contracts
Two-way deals are designed for the increased partnership between NBA and G-League franchises. These sorts of moves are low-risk and will occur quite frequently. Fans should not buy much stock in these moves.
It is a cost-effective way to take a flyer on a guy that might help out a team.
The player does not count against the NBA team’s salary cap, and is paid on a pro-rata basis by the NBA and G-League franchises.
The NBA season is split into a 170-day period with the player on the two-way deal allowed up to 45 days with their respective NBA team.
They will receive the NBA minimum salary ($815,615) during their stint.
The other 125 days will be spent at the G-League salary rate which is capped at $75,000.
Best-case scenario, they will make $280,000 if they are required for all 45 days. Once their deal expires, they will become a restricted free agent for their NBA team.
Two-way deals were brought in to keep talent close to the NBA.
This is an attempt to create an additional revenue and talent stream for the NBA while bolstering their G-League. It establishes 60 extra NBA opportunities for hopefuls who wish to chase their dream and make the NBA.
Impact for the Blazers
It is a valuable resource for the players who do not want to head overseas, and want to boost their value. They remain in the states while making inroads with one of the 30 franchises.
This is a low-risk move for the Blazers, and if it works out, great. They obtain an asset with little opportunity cost.
If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t impact them at all.
One last thing to note is that although the Blazers don’t have their own G-League affiliate, it doesn’t necessarily matter.
Having your own affiliate means it is easier to keep tabs on their development and training. It can also ensure the player is in a similar offensive system and defensive scheme as their parent NBA team.
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The Blazers do not have that luxury (yet), and that is fine. It is only a flyer.
The G-League affiliate Wilcox will be assigned to has not been specified. So, although it is easy to speculate as to who they should’ve picked up instead, remember that it’s a marginal transaction.
It is a new concept so it will make a headline around Portland especially in this quiet period, but expect these sorts of moves to happen frequently by NBA teams going forward.