Three Rookies Rewarded With Two-Way Contracts After Impressive Summer Leagues

NBA 2K26 Summer League was full of standouts, ranging from veterans looking for roster spots to undrafted free agents striving to secure E10s and standard G League contracts. For example, we saw first round picks Nique Clifford and Kon Knueppel showing they belonged, Reed Sheppard making a case for increased minutes this upcoming season, Jordan Miller proving he should receive another two-way contract, and AJ Lawson showing he deserves Toronto's final roster spot.

However, perhaps the most impactful summer leagues came from the NBA rookies who managed to secure themselves two-way contracts. Let's take a look at the three undrafted players or first-year rookies who earned two-way contracts after strong summer league performances.

Chris Mañon, Los Angeles Lakers

Vanderbilt & Cornell

Mar 21, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; St. Mary's Gaels forward Luke Barrett (33) dribbles against Vanderbilt Commodores guard Chris Manon (30) in the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

A player I've written about multiple times over the past two years, starting in March 2024, then September 2024, and again in February 2025, Chris Mañon -- who was on the Golden State Warriors' summer league roster -- was one of the best defenders and most impactful players on the floor in summer league, averaging nine points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 17.1 minutes per game throughout summer league.

Mañon was a graduate senior at Vanderbilt this past season and spent his first three seasons in the Ivy League at Cornell. A prospect I've been able to see many times in person, Mañon has real explosiveness and verticality that becomes evident in transition.

The high-motor player is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard who averaged 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and one block in 18.2 minutes per game while converting 63.7% of his attempts at the rim (91 attempts) and 78% of his free throws (83 attempts) this past season at Vanderbilt. While his three-point percentage could improve (shot 23.5% from three on 34 attempts this past season), his point-of-attack defense, off-ball defensive activity and event creation, passing, rebounding, and overall ability to make winning plays cannot be understated.

He recorded an 8.8 offensive rebound percentage, a 12.3 assist percentage (was consistently 20+ AST% his first three seasons at Cornell), a 5.3 steal percentage, and a 6.4 block percentage this past season -- extremely impressive numbers, especially for a guard. Mañon had the 24th-highest Box Plus-Minus in all of college basketball this past season -- right below players like Javon Small, Thomas Haugh, and Walter Clayton Jr while right above players like Kon Knueppel, Alex Condon, and Kam Jones.

Look for Mañon to make a real impact defensively for the Lakers in specific lineups and be one of the most impactful players in the G League as he continues to grow offensively.

David Jones Garcia, San Antonio Spurs

Mexico City Capitanes, University of Memphis, DePaul, & St. John's

Jul 14, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones-Garcia (25) dribbles the ball against Utah Jazz guard Elijah Harkless (16) during the second half of a NBA basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

David Jones Garcia is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound score-first guard who averaged 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals on 52.7% shooting from the field and 52.9% from three in Vegas Summer League and an overall 22 points per game on 53% three-point shooting in his eight total summer league games.

A player who, while having brief two-way contracts with the 76ers and Jazz at different points last season, never played any NBA minutes after going undrafted in 2024, is technically an NBA rookie this upcoming season with the San Antonio Spurs.

Jones Garcia showcased prolific scoring ability at summer league and with the Capitanes this past season, where he averaged 24.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 12 games. While he can have tunnel vision at times, Jones Garcia' ability to shoot from anywhere on the floor -- both off the dribble and off the catch -- and create his own shot at times cannot be denied.

He'll be one of the highest-level scorers in the G League this upcoming season and could offer a scoring punch for the Spurs at times when needed.

Curtis Jones, Denver Nuggets

Iowa State & University of Buffalo

Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Curtis Jones (5) shoots against Mississippi Rebels guard Dre Davis (14) during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Curtis Jones is a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 14.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game while shooting 54.9% from the field and 46.7% from three in summer league.

He's known for his ability to shoot the ball at a high level and create rim pressure, and has a specific knack for getting to the rim off rejecting screens in the pick-and-roll.

Overall, he averaged 17.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 56.4% at the rim (78 attempts), 44.8% on non-rim twos (145 attempts), 37.4% from three (235 attempts), and 84.5% from the free throw line at Iowa State this past season.

Look for Jones to have a legitimate chance to work into the Nuggets' lineup this season, as he could offer a score-first primary ball-handler skillset that would work well off the bench when Jamal Murray isn't on the floor.