Trail Blazers’ Roster Crunch Hands 76ers One of NBA’s 'Best' Two-Way Players

The Portland Trail Blazersdidn't have room for Caleb Love ... but that doesn't mean they won't eventually regret letting him leave.

After spending his rookie season in Portland, Love signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this month, ending a surprisingly productive tenure with the franchise that gave him his first NBA opportunity.

Now, the former Blazer is already receiving recognition as one of the league's best players on a two-way deal.

FanSided's Eamon Cassels ranked Love seventh among the NBA's current two-way players, highlighting the immediate scoring ability he displayed during his lone season in Portland.

"Few two-way players have the same microwave scoring abilities that Love has," Cassels wrote.

That's exactly what made Love valuable to the Blazers.

The 24-year-old wasn't selected in the 2025 NBA Draft following a productive college career with stops at UNC and Arizona. Portland extended him a two-way contract, allowing Love to split his rookie campaign between the active roster and the Rip City Remix — and he certainly made the most of that opportunity.

Love appeared in 49 games for the Blazers, averaging 10.4 points, 2.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds while providing needed scoring whenever injuries created an opening in the rotation.

The efficiency wasn't always there.

Love shot 38.8% from the field and 31.8% from beyond the arc, supporting some of the same concerns that followed him throughout college. He can generate points quickly, but his confidence occasionally leads to difficult shots and inconsistent stretches.

Still, how many players on two-way contracts have already proven capable of averaging double-digit points across nearly 50 NBA appearances as a rookie?

Not many.

That's why Philadelphia's decision to sign Love carries such little risk and potentially significant upside ... and why the Blazers may end up regretting it.

Portland couldn't offer him the same developmental runway. Not with all its guards now, anyway.

The Blazers' backcourt was crowded before the offseason began, with Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Jrue Holiday already competing for opportunities while Damian Lillard continued recovering from a torn Achilles.

Then Portland acquired Ja Morant.

With Morant and Lillard expected to share the starting backcourt, Henderson, Sharpe and Holiday were pushed further down the rotation. Keeping Love would have created another logjam for first-year head coach Micah Nori to manage.

The decision to let him leave made sense, yet that doesn't make watching him succeed elsewhere any easier. 

Philadelphia managed to turn Portland's roster crunch into one of the NBA's most accomplished two-way additions.

If Love improves his efficiency while maintaining the fearless scoring mentality that made him productive in Rip City, he won't remain on a two-way contract for much longer.