It was announced by Shams Charania of The Athletic on Friday that the Golden State Warriors had reached an agreement on a two-way contract with 22 year old guard Lester Quinones. Playing 31 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors last season, Quinones was dominant for Golden State’s G-League affiliate, averaging 21.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 4.6 APG.
While Quinones only appeared in four NBA games for the Warriors last season, the organization is still very high on him after seeing what he did at the G-League level. Bringing him back on a two-way deal, Golden State will have the opportunity to continuing developing Quinones in the G-League, while also giving him time at the NBA level if needed.
Two-way contracts have helped reshaped how NBA teams approach roster building. With a team like the Warriors who have championship aspirations, players like Quinones could have previously been lost in the shuffle. Now with two-way deals, teams can allow young players to develop in the G-League while also contributing at the NBA level if an opportunity presents itself.
For Quinones, he is still just 22 years old after playing his first full NBA/G-League season last year. With a lot of upside, Quinones could be a player the Warriors look to give some more opportunities to next season if he can continue his impressive play from last year.