The New York Knicks made a really interesting move to start the season by grabbing former Lakers guard Dalton Knecht on a two-way deal, according to Shams Charania's reporting on Friday.
It's a low-risk flyer on a guy who was taken in the first round not long ago and is now battling to hold onto an NBA spot, but Knecht's definitely not alone here, because two-way spots have quietly become a weird holding pattern for guys with real talent.
The ground rules on these deals are pretty straightforward: you get a max of 50 active regular-season games with your NBA team, you can't play in the postseason unless they convert you to a full roster spot, and every franchise gets up to three slots to mess around with.
Front offices love them because they let you stash high-upside guys without burning a 15-man roster spot or touching cap space, but when you look at who's actually signed to these deals right now, a lot of them are just way too good for the G League and deserve real standard contracts.
With the 2026–27 season officially started this week, let's take a look at the 10 best players currently holding down two-way contracts across the league.
I'm still blown away by the fact that Cam Whitmore's on a two-way deal at 22 years old , especially when you think back to what he was doing as a rookie in Houston. He averaged 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in under 19 minutes a night while shooting 45.4% from the floor and 35.9% from deep, which translates to almost 24 points per 36 minutes as a 19-year-old, so seeing him fighting for scraps with the Denver Nuggets three years later just feels completely wild.
Things went off the rails pretty fast for him after that rookie year, with his scoring dipping down to 9.4 points per game before Houston shipped him off to Washington, where he only played 21 games last season and averaged 9.2 points while his three-point shot completely fell off a cliff to 28.6%. But even with the bumpy road and the lack of a real rotation role, his raw scoring talent is still higher than pretty much anyone else on this whole list.
At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, Whitmore's a total freight train in transition who can smash through contact at the rim, though his main issue has always been his vision, since he averages a tiny 0.8 assists for his career and almost always looks to shoot whenever he touches the ball.
But placing him in Denver next to Nikola Jokic is an incredible test case, because Jokic doesn't need another guy to dribble the ball around; he just needs an explosive wing who cuts hard to the rim, runs fast on the break, and can knock down open spot-up threes off his passes.
Whitmore's still younger than a lot of second-year players in the league today, and he's already hung 30 points in an actual NBA game, so his scoring upside is just far too high to give up on. He takes the top spot on this list pretty easily.
Remember back in November 2024 when Knecht went off for 37 points against Utah and tied the rookie record with nine three-pointers in a game? Lakers fans genuinely thought they'd grabbed the biggest steal of the draft, and he ended up wrapping up his rookie year averaging 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds while making 37.6% of his threes across 78 games.
Things got really messy after that initial run, though. He got caught up in that failed Mark Williams trade attempt in February 2025, completely lost his confidence along with his rotation spot, and saw his numbers drop to 4.2 points on 34.2% from three last season before having a rough preseason where he shot just 25.0% from the field, which led to the Lakers cutting him to keep Bronny James instead .
I actually really like the landing spot in New York under Mike Brown, because the Knicks already have Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby doing all the heavy lifting on offense, meaning Knecht won't be asked to dribble much or create his own shot. His job's going to be super basic: stand out on the wing, space the floor, and let it fly whenever Brunson or Towns draws an extra defender.
We already know he's capable of going on crazy hot streaks, like that nine-game run in his rookie year where he averaged 18.9 points on 55.4% shooting and 52.2% from distance, so joining a contender after getting waived is a solid second chance for a 25-year-old shooter who just needs to find his stroke again.
If you're judging guys strictly on their ability to get a bucket, Caleb Love's got an awesome case for being the best scorer. He went undrafted out of Arizona in 2025 but still managed to play 49 games with Portland last year, putting up 10.4 points , 2.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while making nearly two threes a game on a two-way deal.
Whenever Portland sent him down to the G League, he completely lit it up, averaging 24.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists while shooting 43.3% across 10 games with the Rip City Remix, including eight different games where he cleared 20 points and a huge 33-point night against Raptors 905. He proved he could do it against real NBA talent too, like when he scored a career-high 26 points against Golden State last November.
The real challenge for Love is finding minutes on a loaded Philadelphia roster that's already crammed with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, VJ Edgecombe, and Anfernee Simons on the perimeter, not to mention Labaron Philon, their recent draftee, who didn't even play to start the week.
That means playing time's going to be really tough to come by, but having a young guard who can create his own shot off the bounce and step into deep pull-up threes as injury insurance is a great move for Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse, and Love's definitely going to put up huge numbers whenever he gets assigned to Delaware.
It's crazy that Devin Carter's on a two-way deal just two years after being taken 13th overall in the 2024 draft, especially when you look back at Sacramento last year. He played 38 games and averaged 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in just 18.4 minutes, with a team that's just been dry of young talent recently.
Injuries have been a huge pain for him early on, alongside other physical setbacks that kept him from getting a set role, while his 27.4% mark from three over his first two years didn't do him any favors either. Sacramento ended up trading him to Atlanta over the summer, and the Hawks waived him before he played a game, allowing the Boston Celtics to bring him into camp and sign him after a solid 17-point preseason game against Cleveland.
Boston's a really fun spot for him to land because Derrick White and Payton Pritchard already handle the main guard duties, which lets Carter come in and do what he does best by crashing the glass hard, playing tough defense, and attacking the rim in transition.
His G League production last year was ridiculous at 24.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.9 steals over 10 games, so if the 24-year-old can just stay healthy and get his jumper to go down consistently, he's going to find his way back onto a standard NBA contract .
It feels like yesterday that Jordan Hawkins was winning a national title with UConn before getting picked 14th overall by the Pelicans in 2023, coming into the league as a big-time movement shooter who could sprint off screens and catch-and-shoot in a hurry.
He showed plenty of promise during his second year in 2024–25 by averaging 10.8 points and hitting 110 three-pointers over 56 games, which included 15 games with 20-plus points and a career-high 34 points against Dallas.
His third year was a massive bump in the road, though, as his minutes dropped to 13.6 per game, his scoring fell to 5.1 points, and his efficiency tanked to 36.6% from the floor and 34.8% from deep, which made it hard for New Orleans to keep him on the court. The Pelicans moved him to Memphis , and with the Grizzlies needing to cut players, he ended up landing a two-way with the Chicago Bulls in early October.
Chicago's a great environment for him to reset because the Bulls are rebuilding and desperately need shooting after getting crushed 135-92 by Toronto on opening night. Hawkins doesn't need to be a primary playmaker or run the offense; he just needs to move constantly off the ball, draw gravity from defenders, and let his jumper fly. And since he's only 24 with 174 NBA games under his belt, he's definitely worth taking another shot on.
Jalen Wilson's a bit different from most guys on this list, since he already plays like a solid, experienced NBA veteran rather than a project player. He's already logged 176 NBA games and 27 starts across three years with the Brooklyn Nets, holding career averages of 7.4 points and 2.9 rebounds while coming off a really nice 2024–25 season where he averaged 9.5 points over 79 games.
He's got a great basketball resume too, having won a national championship at Kansas in 2022 before earning Summer League MVP honors in 2024 by putting up 21.8 points and 4.6 rebounds a game. Even though his numbers dipped a bit last year down to 6.4 points in under 16 minutes per game, he still hit 35.5% of his threes and hit double figures 10 times.
The Atlanta Hawks picked him up on a two-way in July, and he fits smoothly as a backup wing behind Jalen Johnson, Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort, or Corey Kispert. Wilson isn't going to ask for a ton of touches, but he plays smart, rebounds well, and hits open shots, making him a super dependable two-way option for a team trying to win games.
Pat Spencer easily has one of the coolest stories in the league, going from the best college lacrosse player in the nation and winning the Tewaaraton Award in 2019, to switching over to basketball, going undrafted, and grinding through the G League for years to earn an NBA spot. Now he's 30 years old and still sticking around in the league, which is just an awesome achievement.
Last year with Golden State, he got a real chance when injuries hit the roster and delivered by playing 66 games with 14 starts, averaging 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 18.6 minutes while shooting a career-best 35.7% from three, which led to the Warriors converting him to a standard deal back in February.
He signed with the Phoenix Suns over the summer and made his debut against Portland, getting three points, three rebounds, and an assist in seven minutes.
He's not going to blow anyone away with speed or athleticism at 30, and guarding fast point guards can be a tough matchup for him, but Spencer plays with great feel, makes smart passes, and rarely makes mistakes with the ball. If the Suns need a backup point guard who can come in and execute the offense without turning it over, Spencer's already shown he can do that job.
Coming in as Juwan Howard's son and the 11th overall pick in 2023 meant Jett Howard had plenty of eyes on him, but his three years in Orlando never really clicked, resulting in him averaging just 4.5 points over 133 total games. Last season was technically his best shooting year, as he averaged 5.5 points across 55 games while making 37.2% of his threes and a crazy 94.9% of his free throws.
The problem with Howard's game has never been his stroke, but rather everything else on the floor, because at 6-foot-8, he averages under two rebounds for his career and doesn't offer much in terms of defense or secondary playmaking. When you're a wing who's only giving a team five points a night and not doing much on the glass or on defense, it's really hard for a coach to justify giving you big minutes.
The Dallas Mavericks grabbed him in July after waiving Tyler Smith, and playing next to guys like Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving should give him plenty of clean, spot-up looks from the outside. He's still only 22 years old with a great frame and a proven jump shot, but he really needs to round out his game on defense and on the boards if he wants to stick around long-term.
Having Tacko Fall in a top-10 list in 2026 might sound a little wild, but seeing a 7-foot-6 center return to the NBA after four years overseas is just way too fun to pass up.
The Sixers converted his camp contract on October 17, bringing him back to the league for the first time since 2022 after he spent his earlier career playing 37 games between Boston and Cleveland, averaging 2.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in short minutes.
His shot-blocking pace has always been legendary, as he swatted 30 shots in just 228 total NBA minutes, which works out to almost 5.0 blocks per 36 minutes. Since leaving the NBA, he's been playing in China and New Zealand, coming off a season with the Ningbo Rockets where he averaged over 11 points, six rebounds, and two blocks per game.
Philadelphia brought him in because their frontcourt got hit hard by injuries, with Ariel Hukporti tearing his Achilles in the preseason, while Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow have been banged up, leaving them thin behind Joel Embiid.
Fall's obviously going to struggle if he gets pulled out to the perimeter in pick-and-rolls, but as a massive emergency option who can alter shots at the rim and finish lobs, he gives Philly a unique piece off the bench.
Rounding out the list at No. 10 is Duop Reath, a stretch-five who gives Phoenix some reliable depth up front. Reath was a great story as a 27-year-old rookie with Portland in 2023–24, playing 68 games with 20 starts and averaging 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds, while hitting 35.9% of his threes to help pull opposing centers out of the paint.
His minutes dropped over the next two years, as Portland focused on younger guys like Donovan Clingan, leading to him to 4.2 points in 2024–25 and just 2.9 points last year, though his three-point percentage actually climbed up to 41.8% on lower volume.
Phoenix signed him on October 19 to help cover for Mark Williams while he recovers from shoulder surgery, and Reath got nine minutes in the opener against Portland, scoring five points and hitting a three.
He's not a big rim protector, and at 30 years old, he's pretty much a finished product, but having a center who can knock down shots gives guys like Devin Booker and Jalen Green way more room to attack the basket, making him a very handy piece to have on a two-way deal.
As the 2026–27 regular season rolls along, the value of two-way deals is only going to keep growing across the league. With front offices constantly trying to manage their books under tight apron rules and luxury tax limits, having three extra roster spots to test out talent without burning cap space has become an essential strategy for general managers everywhere.
For guys like Whitmore, Knecht, and Caleb Love, these contracts are a total double-edged sword. On one hand, they give you a great chance to develop with NBA coaching staffs and step up when injuries hit the main squad.
On the other hand, that strict 50-game limit forces teams to manage your active nights really carefully so you don't run out of games before the stretch run. That kind of cap almost always leads to some super tricky roster decisions down the line.
The pressure on these guys is constantly turned up, too, because every single minute on an NBA court feels like a live tryout for a real, standard contract that could secure their spot in the league. Whether it's an explosive young scorer trying to find his rhythm again or a veteran trying to prove he's still got plenty left in the tank, these 10 players show just how much talent is packed into two-way deals right now. It's going to be really fun watching which of them manages to force their front office's hand and earn a full-time NBA roster spot this season.
