2 Players the Sixers Could Spend Their Final Two-Way Contract Roster Spot On

Once Kentavious Caldwell-Pope officially puts pen to paper, the Sixers’ 2026-27 roster will likely be all but finalized. Although they'll still have one open roster spot, they're only $1.83 million below the first apron, so they can't even fit another veteran minimum contract for now.

But there is another way that team president Mike Gansey could make one more tiny splash during his first offseason in Philly.

The Sixers still have one two-way contract available, with Rayan Rupert and Caleb Love taking up the other two. While it’s uncommon to unearth a reliable rotational player this way, the Sixers did so last year with both Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker. They could add another player with upside this offseason whom they may want to keep around for the long term.

Here are three players the Sixers could pursue with their final two-way spot.

Nick Smith Jr.

Philadelphia already has a guard on a two-way deal in Love, but you aren’t signing these players for fit; you’re trying to accumulate as much upside as possible.

The NBA has been a rocky road for Smith, whom the Charlotte Hornets drafted 27th overall in 2023. He spent two years in Charlotte, where he had 9.9 points per game (albeit on 9.5 field-goal attempts) and 2.4 assists in 2025-26. But the Hornets’ backcourt got crowded, so they waived him in September 2025.

Lakers Nick Smith Jr. 21 PTS (8-14 FG, 5-10 3P), 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 TO in 24 minutes vs. Kings

Averaging 8.6p/1.3a/1.3r on 45.7% FG and 42.9% 3P in 16.4 MPG (13 GP) https://t.co/mL0k0uGVT5 pic.twitter.com/jGB7dcbvE4
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) December 29, 2025

He signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, which they converted to a rest-of-year deal in April. Smith provided reserve on-ball creation in a pinch to end the regular season.

Los Angeles was fond of his shot-creation skills from all three levels. Those same traits could appeal to Gansey.

The issue is that Smith has yet to develop into a good enough decision-maker, and his ability to compete on defense is limited by his 6'2", 185-pound frame. But the G League is for players in his exact situation, which could make the Blue Coats a good pitstop for him to develop into a consistent NBA player.

Keaton Wallace

The Sixers still need more ball-handling. Wallace theoretically fits the mold.

Wallace, a third-year undrafted point guard, spent his first two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. He tallied 4.2 points and 2.1 assists per game in 84 appearances through two years, playing behind CJ McCollum as well as Gabe Vincent.

Wallace is a traditional guard with passing instincts and a quality point-of-attack defender, but Atlanta tended to favor bigger lineups, which didn’t benefit the 6'3", 190-pound ball-handler.

Keaton Wallace made his presence known in Atlanta's road win!

😤 27 PTS (career-high)
😤 6 REB (career-high)
😤 6 AST
😤 4 STL (ties career-high)
😤 4 3PM (ties career-high) pic.twitter.com/ahZYjCA1Ha
— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2025

The only drawback to Wallace is that he is already 27 years old and doesn’t have as much room for growth as his younger G League counterparts. Yet his reliable two-way impact makes him a very Nick Nurse-coded prospect. Not to mention, he knocked down 38.7% of his 3-pointers on 7.8 attempts with the Hawks’ G League affiliate, the Skyhawks, in 2025-26.

Barlow set a high bar of what you can find in a two-way signing, but this year’s options do not have the same level of intrigue as Barlow did last summer. Then again, that’s why two-way contracts are so useful, so teams can see which players belong in the league and which don’t.

Now, it’s time for Gansey and the Sixers to do the same.

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