Clock ticking on Dort’s two-way contract
Billy Donovan said he's not keeping track of the days, but Luguentz Dort has made 45 a number worth circling in the Thunder organization.
Dort, in the latest of his surprising stretch of starts, scored a career-high 23 points Wednesday in Sacramento. Friday, he'll play in front of a pseudo home crowd when the Thunder faces the Suns at 8 p.m. in Phoenix.
The Montreal native was suiting up for Arizona State this time a year ago. Dort averaged 16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for the Sun Devils. He declared for the
NBA draft after his freshman season.
Dort, a 6- foot- 3 guard, went undrafted before signing a two-way contract with the Thunder.
Two-way contracts come with a catch — or more specifically — a 45- day clock.
With strong sustained play, the 20- year- old Dort is an obvious candidate to earn a full- time NBA deal. The Thunder has an open spot on its 15-man roster.
Of the 60 players on a two-way contract, Dort isn't playing the most minutes, but he's playing the most meaningful minutes. Warriors guard Ky Bowman, currently on G League assignment, leads two- way players with 22.4 minutes per game.
Bowman's contributions of 7.3 points and 2.8 assists per game, while admirable, have little impact on the worst team in the league.
Dort is averaging 20.8
minutes per game for a 29- 20 Thunder squad that ranks seventh in the Western Conference. Dort has played in 14 games with six consecutive starts as Terrance Ferguson continues to miss time for personal reasons.
The Thunder is 5-1 with Dort in the starting lineup.
Dort is an anomaly this season compared to his two-way colleagues. Of the 16 teams in line to make the playoffs, none have a two-way player who has logged a start.
Only one two-way player among the top-eight teams in the West is even in a regular rotation: Dort.
The rookie has already passed Hamidou Diallo and Abdel Nader in OKC's wing hierarchy.
But for now, time could limit Dort's contributions.
Two-way players can only spend up to 45 days in the NBA. The clock starts when G League training camp opens. Any day spent with the big-league club, whether at practices or in games, counts toward the 45-day limit.
The countdown from 45 days is not publicly available.
“I don't monitor it at all,” Donovan said last week. “Really it's the front office. Obviously I'm in contact with them and they give me updates of what's going on.”
The NBA implemented two-way contracts in the 2017 offseason. All teams can sign two players on a two-way contract, increasing roster sizes from 15 to 17 players with the final two spots being part-time help.
Only players with four or fewer years of NBA service are eligible for two-way deals.
On an online G League graphic promoting two-way players, Alex Caruso and Chris Boucher are the featured examples. Boucher is averaging 12.7 minutes per game for the second-place Raptors. Caruso, a fan favorite, is averaging 18.9 minutes per game for the Western Conference-leading Lakers.
Boucher and Caruso are now playing on standard NBA contracts after beginning their careers as two-way players.
Dort's face might grace the same graphic next season.