Raptors 905 Primer: Explaining two-way players, G League rights and more

It’s time to bring the most successful franchise under the MLSE banner back to glory and get the 2023-24 Raptors 905 team back to the playoffs.

It feels like a big year ahead for the 905, coming off of a 23-27 season that marked the franchise’s first year below .500 or out of the playoffs since their expansion 2015-16 season. There were markers of progress throughout the year, and graduating a handful of players to NBA positions — decidedly a victory for the organization — thinned the roster at times. An additional two-way spot and an aggressive Exhibit 10 strategy should have the program in a good position to get back to the post-season if they can find enough shooting on a roster loaded with size and defensive prowess.

The 905 begin their season Nov. 10 on the road and the home part of their schedule Nov. 12 at Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ont. Training camp opened Monday and runs until cut-down day on Nov. 7.

What follows is a look at how the Raptors 905 roster is constructed, with an explanation of the different contracts and player types involved.

Eligible assignment players (NBA salary)

NBA teams can assign any player to the G League who is still in his first three seasons in the league, even if they aren’t on a two-way contract. Players with more than three years of experience can be assigned with player and union approval.

Assigning a player to the G League does not open up an NBA roster spot or provide any cap relief. The player is simply listed as inactive while on assignment and continues to earn his full NBA salary.

Due to the introduction of two-way contracts and the way the last two seasons have played out at the NBA level, the impact of assignment players has decreased relative to some of the other player categories. Still, these should, on paper, be the best and most advanced 905ers, so long as they can catch up quickly and handle the back-and-forth nature of assignments.

Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick and Christian Koloko are all eligible to be assigned plus any veterans who approve, up to a total of three assignments at any one time.

Barnes isn’t going there, obviously. Dick could see some spot duty there, as the 905 have 10 home games that occur while the Raptors are also at home and not in action, meaning giving Dick some Mississauga time wouldn’t harm the Raptors’ NBA rotation. There is no status update on Koloko, who is out with a respiratory issue, but it stands to reason he’ll see ample 905 time to ramp back up when ready.

Two-way players (two-way salary, $559,782; up to 50 per cent guaranteed)

Beginning in 2017-18, NBA teams were allowed to sign two players to two-way deals, contracts that offered an elevated G League salary and allowed a player to spend up to 45 days with the NBA team, during which they’d earn even more. Those rules have changed over time. Two-way players now earn half the rookie minimum whether they’re in the NBA or G League and can now receive guarantees.

They can also spend up to 50 game days active on the NBA roster, rather than 45 game and practice days in total.

The Raptors tend to try and balance their two-way spots between helping the NBA club on an emergency basis (Lorenzo Brown, Jeff Dowtin Jr.) and long-term development (Chris Boucher, Ron Harper Jr.).

This is the first year with a third two-way spot. The Raptors are once again taking one longer-term flier in the undersized Markquis Nowell, who is a highlight reel passer but will need to show he can pull up from range and provide capable defence despite his size to take the next step. They have also made sure to have additional NBA depth on a two-way deal with Javon Freeman-Liberty, a combo guard who impressed in the pre-season after strong showings in the G League last year and at Summer League in July. The third two-way spot is something we’ve rarely seen, as Ron Harper Jr. is back for a second two-way season after an up-and-down 2022-23 that trended in the right direction late in the year.

Two-way spots can be churned easily, as the guarantees are modest and they do not count against the cap or tax. (You do not retain a player’s G League rights if you waive him off his two-way deal, however.) Two-way players are not eligible for call-ups from another NBA team even while in the G League.

Affiliate players (eligible for Exhibit 10 bonus, $41,500 to $116,500… or $123,000)

NBA teams can tag up to six players who were cut in training camp as “affiliate players.” This serves the dual purpose of stocking the G League team with talent outside of the draft model and keeping the program stocked with players the NBA team wants to help develop and track for future consideration.

This can only happen with players whose G League rights are unowned or already owned by the G League team. This is why you’ll see G League teams trade for a player’s rights just before their NBA team signs them, and it’s why you see those curious sign-and-immediately-waive transactions in training camp, as a player has to spend a day on the NBA camp roster to qualify for Exhibit 10 status.

The most important note with these players is that in addition to the $41,500 G League salary, they will earn a $75,000 bonus if they spend 60 days with Raptors 905. That helps the G League compete with the lower levels of international ball, offering proximity to the NBA and an escalated, if still underwhelming, salary.

The 905 have historically done a good job allocating these slots to players with NBA upside, as six players have gone on to earn NBA call-ups. (Somewhat ironically, those have all come with other teams.)

Not only can they be used to bring in higher-level talent, they can also be used to reward returning players with a higher salary, which the 905 have done on six occasions, including with Darryl Morsell this year. The 905 will really need Morsell to improve as an outside shooter on a roster that’s light on that skill and has plenty of strong defenders already.

Justise Winslow, Mohamadou Gueye, Makur Maker, Kevin Obanor and Omari Moore are also with the 905 as affiliate players.

Winslow is, obviously, an established NBA player and former lottery pick who has dealt with myriad injuries, most recently a serious ankle ailment. He’ll be with the 905 to show he’s healthy and ready to get back to the NBA, working as a wing playmaker and elite defender in the interim. Gueye and Maker both spent the pre-season with the Raptors, with “Mo G” impressing with his energy and high-flying dunks and Makur showing intrigue as a near-seven-footer in small opportunities. Obanor, meanwhile, spent most of the summer in the Raptors developmental system after a really good showing at the Portsmouth Invitational before the draft. Moore was a late addition after being released from a two-way deal with the Bucks, for which he earned an extra $6,500, as his sign-and-waive technically took place during the NBA calendar.

Although affiliate players have stronger ties to the NBA team and earn the $75,000 bonus if they stay in the system long enough, they remain free to sign with another NBA team if a call-up or two-way contract presents itself.

Returning players (G League contract, $41,500)

G League teams hold rights on their former players for up to two years after they last played for the team. Often, that doesn’t end up mattering much, as players head overseas permanently, are traded or earn NBA call-ups with other organizations. In other cases, it’s a way to add some stability to a system that turns over almost entire rosters year-to-year.

The 905 will return a trio of players, although two are “returning” in name only. Keith Williams is the true returner, getting another look as a depth guard after handling emergency minutes late in the 2022-23 season. Jaysean Paige is trying his hand at the G League once again, having spent the last two seasons since a brief NBA debut plying his trade in South America. Jaylen Morris is also looking to make a G League comeback after missing all of last year injured. The backcourt duo of Paige and Morris both had their rights acquired by the 905 in trades over the last year.

Draft picks (G League contract, $41,500)

The G League draft is so thin now that not even I, prince of nerds and G League obsessive, bother to track the impact picks have league-wide. It’s something the league may need to look at in the future, as teams have been much smarter about building their rosters through other means, rendering the draft a spot where after Jack White, Teafale Lenard Jr., and maybe Karolis Lukosiunas, there aren’t many names who would be locks to make their G League rosters.

The 905 still feel they landed a nice piece at No. 11, selecting Myles Burns out of Ole Miss, a program they have familiarity with. Burns is extremely Raptors-y as a six-foot-six ball-hawk who posted double-check-the-numbers steal rates in the NAIA and has never really shown outside shooting ability. It’s good to have a type, and Burns could play his way to bench minutes with a strong camp.

Tryout and undrafted free agent players (G League contract, $41,500)

Teams can use up “local tryout” spots and sign undrafted free agents from the available player pool to fill out their camp rosters. On paper, the roster has six affiliate players, three returning players, and Burns, meaning the tryout group will have to outplay an incumbent (or draft pick) in order to stick on the roster. It’s not impossible, and has in fact been a path to G League success for a number of players in the past.

That group for this camp is headlined by Canadian guard Jahvon Henry-Blair of Georgetown notoriety, CEBL success, and even some time with the Canadian national team. He’ll be fighting with Alphonos Anderson (tryout player with a bit of G League experience and strong numbers in Argentina last year), Colin Dougherty (another tryout player, and another player with standout numbers at a lower level from his Division-III time), Doral Moore (a legitimate seven-footer with 89 games of G League experience as a shot-blocker slash dunker), and Matt Milon (an absolute lock to win every shooting drill in camp).

Staff and other player rights

The 905 will be coached by Eric Khoury for a second consecutive season. He’s had a fascinating path to this spot and will look to build on his rookie year behind the bench. Fortune Solomon, Joshua Henderson, and Brandon Leftwich have been added to Khoury’s staff for this year, joining the returning Matt Gray, Christian Siakam (brother of Raptors star Pascal Siakam), and the longest-tenured staff member, Arsalan Jamil.

Raptors 905 also hold returning player rights to 15 players who are either signed elsewhere or did not enter the G League player pool for this season. That list includes Saben Lee and Kevon Harris, who turned their 905 time into NBA jobs in recent years.

The 905 will have 18 bodies in camp, barring an assignment from the Raptors — all three two-ways, their six affiliate players, their three returners and six via tryout and the draft. The three two-ways and 10 G League players will make the final roster, so five players will need to be cut by the Nov. 10 opener.

We’ll have regular check-ins on the status of any rising 905ers and the progress of the Raptors’ two-ways and assignment players throughout the season, both here at Sportsnet.ca and on The Raptors Show with Will Lou.