JANUARY 15: Chriss’ two-way contract is now official, according to the Warriors.
JANUARY 14: Just days after waiving him, the Warriors intend to bring back Marquese Chriss on a two-way contract, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).
Chriss has spent most of the 2019/20 season with the Warriors and played well in a part-time role, averaging 7.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.9 APG in 37 games (17.7 MPG). However, he was released last Tuesday in advance of the league-wide salary guarantee deadline because Golden State wanted to maximize its flexibility under the team’s hard cap. The two sides were said to have mutual interest in a reunion.
The Warriors reportedly plan to promote two-way player Damion Lee to their standard roster to fill the spot that Chriss previously occupied, so the two players will essentially be swapping places. The pair of moves will need to be completed by the end of the day on Wednesday, since January 15 is the deadline for two-way signings.
Lee has already used his full 45-day NBA allotment this season but can be activated again once he signs a standard contract. As a newly-signed two-way player, Chriss will be eligible to spend up to 24 days in the NBA between now and the end of the G League regular season in March. Once the G League season ends, those restrictions will lift and he can spend the rest of the year in the NBA.
Head coach Steve Kerr had previously talked about Chriss potentially having a future in Golden State beyond 2019/20. The big man’s new two-way contract will make him a free agent at the end of the season, but the Warriors will still have options for re-signing him, particularly if he isn’t offered a sizable raise by a rival team.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
As I understood it, a player can’t sign a 2-way contract if he will have more than three years of NBA service at any point in the contract. Do they not count the current year? Because he’s played half a season of his fourth year.
Years of experience are added for all players on June 30 (if they were on an NBA roster for at least one day during that league year), so Chriss is still considered to have three until then.
Thank you. I guessed that might be it.
so doesn’t that mean Kendrick Nunn isn’t a rookie?
He spent the last day of the 2018/19 season on Miami’s roster, so he’s technically not a rookie. His minimum salary this year is that of a player with one year of experience.
Since he didn’t play a game last year though, he could still be considered for Rookie of the Year, like Blake Griffin and Ben Simmons were in their “second” years.
Is this also why he’ll be unrestricted if the Warriors don’t convert him eventually?
I actually had to update that note since I believe the Warriors can make him a restricted free agent with a minimum-salary qualifying offer despite the fact that he’ll have four years of experience.
So the Warriors knew what they were doing last week when they had to clear a roster spot for Lee….Glad to see Chriss back.
it sure looks that way now. #lightyears
John Oliver approves
It may be awhile before GM Myers has freedom of choice with the roster, with the star salaries that are entrenched.
Definitely a creative way to have Chriss back. Maybe this is when they both say, “I want to”. While he’s throwing up big slams and numbers though, I think they should have Ayton for Willie Cauley-Stein and maybe even Chriss in a package. GSW might not in position to do that though. On trade machine it says they have something like a luxury tax threshold. That can’t make players like Draymond Green feel comfortable. Those clowns probably want Kuzma to come play for them. The problem is, no can do. Russell and another player for Wiggins. That puts them back on track
Definitely a creative way to have Chriss back. Maybe this is when they both say, “I want to”. While he’s throwing up big slams and numbers though, I think they should have Ayton for Willie Cauley-Stein and maybe even Chriss in a package. GSW might not in position to do that though. On trade machine it says they have something like a luxury tax threshold. That can’t make players like Draymond Green feel comfortable. Those clowns probably want Kuzma to come play for them. The problem is, no can do. Russell and another player for Wiggins. That puts them back on track
Definitely a creative way to have Chriss back. Maybe this is when they both say, “I want to”. While he’s throwing up big slams and numbers though, I think they should have Ayton for Willie Cauley-Stein and maybe even Chriss in a package. GSW might not in position to do that though. On trade machine it says they have something like a luxury tax threshold. That can’t make players like Draymond Green feel comfortable. Those clowns probably want Kuzma to come play for them. The problem is, no can do. Russell and another player for Wiggins. That puts them back on track