The Brooklyn Nets are set to have a fully new trio of two-way contract players this coming season. The days of having Tyson Etienne fill one of those spots are over, as he signed a deal to go play pro overseas on Thursday.
There are already two players on two-way deals for the Nets -- Chaney Johnson and Tyler Bilodeau -- both of whom have had promising flashes in NBA Summer League.
That leaves one more slot to fill, and there isn't a clear option for the organization to go to. Given that Johnson and Bilodeau are forwards, it would be a safe assumption to lean toward a guard getting the contract. This narrows down the field to three players.
The known entity that Brooklyn may gravitate towards is Malachi Smith . He originally had his non-guaranteed team option picked up for the 2026-27 season , but he was waived last week, making it possible for him to rejoin the organization on a two-way contract. He'll turn 27 years old during this coming season, making him a much older option than the other two.
Another player with NBA experience who could be up for the spot is Hunter Sallis . He was a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and served out a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers . The 23-year-old is on the Nets Summer League roster, but hasn't gotten many opportunities through the Las Vegas portion. In the California Classic, Sallis averaged 11.5 points, five rebounds and three assists on solid efficiency through two games.
From this year's class, undrafted rookie Dion Brown is also in contention . He's in a similar boat as Sallis, a 23-year-old who has seen limited time in Las Vegas but showed flashes in the California Classic. Brown averaged 6.5 points, five assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 50% field goal shooting through two games.
Brooklyn's decision will come down to what it believes will be a long-term benefit. Is higher upside or immediate impact more meaningful? Without the rights to its 2027 first-round pick and the new lottery system, it could make sense for this coming season to hold playoff aspirations.
Smith has the most real NBA experience, and he proved to be a capable one or two guard for the Nets last season. The likely case is that the front office and coaching staff didn't like any of the other two-way options it had and cut Smith in hopes of bringing him back to fill that final spot. This is not another tanking team, and when injuries happen, they'll need reliable depth.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/nets/onsi as What The Nets Two-Way Race Looks Like as Las Vegas Summer League Closes .
