Free agent guard C.J. Wilcox has agreed to a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Fear not, Rip City faithful: contrary to popular belief, the Portland Trail Blazers are indeed alive and well this offseason, which they proved Tuesday evening with some much-awaited news.
First reported via Twitter by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, 6-5 free agent shooting guard C.J. Wilcox has agreed to a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. Wilcox, 26, played 22 games with the Orlando Magic last season.
Everything you need to know about C.J. Wilcox
Wilcox spent five years at Washington, starting as a redshirt in 2009 before officially joining the team in 2010. Playing a total 131 games over the course of his college career, Wilcox averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from behind the arc.
After declaring for the 2014 NBA Draft, Wilcox was selected 28th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. He played a total of 44 games over the course of his two seasons spent with the Clippers, averaging 2.5 points in 6.1 minutes on 40.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.1 percent shooting from outside.
Free agent guard CJ Wilcox has agreed to a two-way deal with Portland, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 9, 2017
Wilcox was then traded to the Orlando Magic during the 2016 offseason for Devyn Marble and a future second round draft pick. In 22 games played, he averaged 1.0 points in 4.9 minutes on 25.8 percent shooting.
Wilcox is also not a stranger to the NBA G-League. He’s spent time playing with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Canton Charge, the Bakersfield Jam and the Erie BayHawks.
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Playing a total 30 minor league games over the course of his three NBA seasons, Wilcox holds averages of 16.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists, shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from three-point range.
What exactly is a two-way contract?
In order to fully understand the significance of C.J. Wilcox signing the first two-way contract in Portland Trail Blazers history, here’s a crash course in two-way contracts that I wrote for FanSided’s Golden State Warriors flagship site, Blue Man Hoop:
"One of the new stipulations added into the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement this past year is that of the two-way contract, which allows a player to spend up to 45 days of service with their respective NBA team, playing the rest of the season with the organization’s G-League affiliate.The player that signs the contract will receive a salary proportional to an NBA pro while playing with their respective major league team, earning a minor league salary while with the team’s G-League affiliate.However, by far the best part about two-way contracts in the NBA is it effectively adds two roster spots to every team in the league, bringing the maximum number of players per roster up to 17. These two spots will be used primarily to develop two high-risk, high-reward players."
Only one minor difference that needs to be added: since the Portland Trail Blazers do not currently have a G-League affiliate of their own, they will have to specify which NBA G-League team to send Wilcox.
As long as the G-League team in question agrees to the assignment, Wilcox will be able to play with said team.
How does Wilcox fit with the Blazers?
It tough to say how exactly Wilcox fits in Portland; however, there’s much to be said about the Blazers agreeing to a two-way contract with a player that’s already had a taste of the NBA.
Players that went undrafted this past summer were the most likely to sign two-way contracts. Instead of signing an unproven guy out of college, the Blazers took full advantage of the extra roster spot that gets carved out by the two-way contract, inexpensively securing a guy that’s already had his fair share of NBA experience.
Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far
On paper, Wilcox gives the Blazers some insurance should someone like Shabazz Napier, Pat Connaughton, Maurice Harkless, Jake Layman or Evan Turner go down with an injury.