DECEMBER 7, 11:35am: The Suns have officially converted James’ two-way deal to a standard NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release. The release also confirmed that the team has waived Jones, as we detailed in a separate story.
James is now on track to reach restricted free agency in 2018, while the Suns have an open two-way contract slot that could be filled at any time.
DECEMBER 6, 11:02pm: The Suns are converting Mike James‘ two-way contract into a traditional NBA contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports. On Thursday, James will have spent 45 days with the NBA club, which is the maximum allowed under a two-way deal.
James will be the first player in NBA history to have his two-way deal converted. Phoenix plans on opening a roster spot on Thursday morning and Derrick Jones is a good bet to be the casualty of the transaction, barring a trade.
The point guard made approximately $213K on his two-way deal and he could earn slightly over $580K if he remains with the team for the remainder of the 2017/18 season. James took on a larger role once the Suns dealt away Eric Bledsoe, starting 10 games before finding his niche leading the second unit.
Would it be possible for them to convert Derrick Jones to a two way deal without losing him?
Nope. Only certain kinds of contracts can be converted into two-way deals, and the deadline to do it was the first day of the regular season.
DJ’s played 33 minutes total this season. While he’s got some skill, he isn’t contributing to the team, so he makes the most sense to go.