NBA Free Agency: Wizards sign Michael Young to two-way deal

Michael Young, who will play on the Wizards’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, will also sign a two-way deal with the Washington Wizards, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post.

Two-way contracts are a new type of contract implemented in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that do not count against the team’s cap space and allow teams to sign players who will primarily play in the G-League (formerly D-League). Here’s how they work, according to CBA FAQ:

A Two-Way player is a hybrid of a standard NBA player and a D-League player. A player on a Two-Way contract is principally a D-League player, but he can spend up to 45 days with his affiliate NBA team. His salary is pro-rated by day, depending on which team he is on, and he can only play for the affiliated NBA team while on a Two-Way contract – he can’t be poached by another NBA team.

A Two-Way player differs from a regular D-League player because he receives a higher salary and can be called up to the parent NBA club while remaining under his Two-Way contract. A regular D-League player can sign with an NBA team at any time, which terminates his D-League contract. A Two-Way player differs from a standard NBA player in that he only earns NBA salary and amenities while with the parent NBA club. A player on a standard NBA contract can be assigned to the D-League affiliate, but continues to receive his NBA salary while on assignment.

Teams are allowed to sign up to two players on Two-Way contracts, and teams receive additional roster spots beyond the standard 15 in order to do so. A Two-Way player can be signed starting on July 1 (during the July Moratorium), and can be signed through January 15. A player is ineligible to sign a Two-Way contract if he will have more than three years of NBA service at any point in the contract. A player cannot play under Two-Way contracts for the same team for more than three years total.

Since the Wizards won’t have a G-League team until the 2018-19 season, the Wizards will need to use the flexible assignment system to place Young on an team while he’s in the G-League.

Two-way players can be converted up into full-time NBA players if they exceed 45 days played with their NBA team, but that would be unlikely in Young’s case. Washington is at the 15 man roster limit, so the team would need to trade or release someone to clear a spot for him to move up.

With Young in place, it will be interesting to see how the competition intensifies for the last two-way contract on the squad.