Perhaps more than many people expected, Marquese Chriss has emerged as a fairly consistent theme for the Warriors this season.
Last week, Golden State made the decision to waive Chriss in order to sign Damion Lee to a standard NBA contract, it was reported. Since then, the potential of Chriss re-signing with the Warriors has been oft-discussed.
On Tuesday, Marc Spears of The Undefeated reported that the Warriors will do exactly that, as the club, according to him, plans to re-sign Chriss to a two-way contract. The news comes as no surprise, especially considering that, shortly after he was waived, Chriss went on the record as saying that he would be open to a return to the Warriors.
By rule, NBA teams are allowed to carry 15 players under standard NBA contracts and another two players under two-way contracts, which stipulate that the signed players will split time between the NBA and G League and that their compensation will be adjusted accordingly.
In effect, what the Warriors will end up doing with Chriss and Lee is swap their contracts, whereby Lee will eventually be playing under a standard NBA contract while the newly re-signed Chriss will be playing under a two-way deal. Although Lee’s deal hasn’t officially been re-worked yet, it is expected to be.
The Warriors plan to re-sign big man Marquese Chriss to a two-way player deal, a source told @TheUndefeated.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) January 14, 2020
Spears’ report, it should be noted, doesn’t specify when the Warriors will sign Chriss to the two-way deal, but it stands to reason that the signing is imminent. Golden State will begin a three-game homestand when they host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, and the club was considered to have a void in the middle that was left in the wake of Chriss’ departure.
In a fairly ironic twist, general manager Bob Myers seems to hope that Chriss can help fill the void that his being waived created.