Both of the Portland Trail Blazers’ two-way players have experienced major injuries. What does it mean for their development in the team’s system moving forward?
The NBA debuted the concept of two-way contracts this season, giving teams two additional roster spots to develop players in the G League while also allowing them to spend up to 45 days with the pro team. The Portland Trail Blazers used their two-way deals on two young guards. Unfortunately, neither of them are currently on the floor at either level.
On Aug. 8, the Blazers signed 2-guard C.J. Wilcox to the team’s first two-way contract. Wilcox had spent three seasons in the NBA for the LA Clippers and Orlando Magic. His most notable ability is his outside shooting. He made 38.1 percent of his 3-pointers in his two years with the Clippers. Wilcox also made 42.2 percent of his 3s during his three years in the G League.
The Blazers followed that up on Oct. 19 by signing combo guard Wade Baldwin to the other two-way contract. Baldwin was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies three days prior after spending his rookie campaign with them. He is a distributing point guard that struggled with consistency in his first year in the pros.
Unfortunately, the injury bug quickly bit both players. Wilcox went down on Sept. 30 with an unidentified knee injury. He eventually underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery on Oct. 23, and was slated out for 6-8 weeks.
Meanwhile, Baldwin was added to the injured list six days after signing his deal and two days after Wilcox had surgery. On Oct. 25 he also underwent surgery. Baldwin had an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right thumb repaired. The surgery and recovery is puts him out for six weeks.
Both players are slated to return sometime in December. While it’s good that they won’t miss the entire season, both Baldwin and Wilcox will be behind in their development as role players in the Blazers’ system.
Wilcox has already played three years in the NBA. Therefore, this is the only year in which he’ll be eligible for a two-way contract. He will have upwards of four months of game time to return to playing shape then play at a level to justify a spot on the Blazers roster. Is that enough time to show that this sharpshooter will fit in the Blazers offense?
Baldwin only has a year of pro experience. He has more time to develop and will be eligible for future two-way deals. However, Shabazz Napier is presumably his most direct competition. Napier has more experience, and is finally receiving more rotation minutes. He will also be a restricted free agent this summer, giving the team control over his next move. Will Baldwin have enough time to prove he can provide more upside to the team than Napier?
The fact that the Blazers don’t have a G League affiliate also complicates those questions. Portland is a team that prefers to develop players at its own facilities. C.J. McCollum and Pat Connaughton are players that the team took time to develop over a couple of seasons before incorporating them into the rotation.
However, Wilcox and Baldwin will only be allotted 45 days to be with the team. They’ve strayed from using the G League’s flex assignment rule because few, if any, teams run the Blazers’ systems. Jake Layman and former player Tim Quarterman ran into these issues just last season. Can either player impress when they’re recovering from injuries while spending most of the season playing out-of-system for a random G League team?
The two-way contract is a great addition to the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. It gives developmental players the chance to grow within a system, hopefully to become a key player in that team’s rotation.
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However, the Blazers find themselves in a quandary with this new agreement. Both of their players are out with major injuries. Due to the Blazers not having a G League affiliate, they will return to eventually play for teams that don’t run their home club’s system. What that means for the development of the players and the Portland Trail Blazers’ minor league system is up in the air.