Two-way contracts allow NBA teams to carry three extra players in addition to the 15 on their regular season roster. These players generally bounce back and forth between the NBA and G League, but remain under team control and can’t be poached by rival franchises.
Players on two-way deals will earn $678,882 in 2026/27, half of the rookie minimum. They can be active for 50 of their team’s 82 regular season games, unless their club is carrying fewer than 15 players on its standard roster. In that scenario, two-way players can only be active for a combined 90 “under-15” games.
As our 2026/27 two-way contract tracker shows, a total of 14 teams around the NBA currently have at least one two-way opening. A few of those spots are reportedly spoken for, but the deals have not yet been finalized.
Here’s the full list of teams who currently have open two-way spots:
The defending champion Knicks are the only team in the league that has all three two-way spots available. They still have Tyler Nickel as an unsigned second-round pick, though he may be weighing a return to college after a recent federal court ruling gave him an extra year of NCAA eligibility.
The Nuggets are the other team with more than one opening; they currently have two spots available. Denver also has an unsigned second-rounder in forward Bryce Hopkins.
Each of the other 12 teams has one opening apiece, but as previously mentioned, a few of those spots are reportedly spoken for. Former Nuggets guard Jalen Pickett is expected to sign with the Clippers; ex-Michigan State big man Carson Cooper has a deal lined up with the Grizzlies; and undrafted free agent big man Rafael Castro is expected to sign with the Bucks.
Cooper’s two-way deal with Memphis can’t be completed until the Grizzlies make a roster move; they’re currently at the offseason limit of 21 players under contract. They also have Richie Saunders as an unsigned second-rounder, but it’s unclear what the plan is for the former BYU star, who’s currently recovering from a torn ACL.
A handful of other unsigned second-round picks could be two-way candidates as well. That list includes Braden Smith (Pacers), Lajae Jones (Warriors), Vsevolod Ishchenko (Mavericks), Trey Kaufman-Renn (Timberwolves) and Malique Lewis (Bucks). Ishchenko and Lewis spent last season overseas and could end up being draft-and-stash prospects, but that hasn’t been confirmed.
Finally, it’s worth noting that a player who signs an Exhibit 10 contract can be converted to a two-way deal if he impresses his team in training camp. That only applies to players who are still two-way eligible.
