Detroit Pistons: Will Pistons strike gold with two-way contracts again?
After officially signing Luka Garza to the second two-way contract, the Detroit Pistons roster is pretty much set.
The Pistons have officially announced Luke Garza and Chris Smith have signed two-way deals.
— Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) August 17, 2021
Yes, Keith knows his name is Luka and corrected himself. Name typos aside, the Pistons have now used both of their two-way contracts for the season, and outside of re-signing Hamidou Diallo, I can’t see any other huge changes to the roster.
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Two-way contracts were invented to allow NBA teams to keep two extra players on the roster who will split time between the G-League and the team.
Last season the league extended the number of games two-way players could be with the team before their guaranteed contract kicked in, which essentially allowed teams to keep two extra guys for the whole season, which is nice for young, rebuilding squads that are trying to develop talent.
Detroit Pistons: The two-way contract has been fruitful for Detroit
Last season the Detroit Pistons used their two-way contracts on Saben Lee and Frank Jackson, two players who have since been extended guaranteed deals by the team.
Both players were able to get big minutes and make an impact off the bench, as Saben Lee had some big games early in the season and Frank Jackson became the team’s instant offense off the bench and ended up shooting more than 40 percent from long range.
The Pistons have two guys in Chris Smith and Luka Garza who hope to do the same, as they will have to earn their way out of the G-League and show they belong on the full-time roster.
Will either of them do it? I think there is a strong chance that history repeats itself for the Pistons.