New Orleans Pelicans convert former Florida State forward to Two-Way Contract
Former Florida State forward John Butler has been converted to a Two-Way contract after originally just signing an Exhibit-10 deal with the New Orleans Pelicans a few weeks ago. After going undrafted and playing sparingly in the Summer League until a fantastic performance in the final game, his future was uncertain until a few weeks ago. Some expected him to go overseas for a little while or spend the whole season in the G-League, but now he'll be spending some time in the big leagues this season.
The original contract he signed, the Exhibit-10, is essentially a minimum contract that gives the team the player's rights to their G-League team if they were to waive them after the preseason, which can be converted to other contracts.
Butler will now be on a Two-Way deal, which means that Butler will spend time with the New Orleans Pelicans and their G-League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron. He can spend up to 45 days with the Pelicans, and will spend the rest of the time with the Squadron. He can eventually be signed to a standard contract if the team chooses, but he'll likely spend the whole season on the two-way deal. A lot of teams will call players up for the day of a home game, and then send them back down after the game.
At 7'2", but just 180 pounds, he's going to need time to gain weight and hone his craft, but he has a really unique skillset that if they can develop properly, Butler can be a really impactful player. He only spent one season in Tallahassee, averaging just 5.9 PPG, but shot 39.3% from 3.
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