Chris Boucher has signed a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors, but he will be playing much of the 2017-18 season with their G-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Per the team’s official announcement on Friday, the Golden State Warriors have officially signed Chris Boucher to a two-way contract. The 24-year-old rookie forward is expected to spend a great deal of time with Golden State’s G-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team as a senior this past season, Boucher is currently sitting in with the Warriors Summer League squad in Las Vegas while he works to recover from an ACL injury he suffered in March.
What exactly is a two-way contract?
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.
So why is Boucher deserving of a two-way contract?
Boucher isn’t expected to be fully healthy for quite some time, but the 6’10” high-energy rim protector will certainly be a welcome addition to the Santa Cruz Warriors family.
In 31 games last year at Oregon, Boucher averaged 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 23.6 minutes per game, shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from behind the arc.
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Playing a total 69 games in his two years at Oregon, Boucher averaged 12.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 24.8 minutes, shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 34.4 percent behind the arc.
Considering that Damian Jones and Patrick McCaw have likely earned bigger roles in Golden State’s rotation, the Santa Cruz Warriors will need all the defense they can get, and Boucher looks to be the perfect fit.