Pistons Sign Elijah Harkless To Two-Way Contract

Harkless, 26, went undrafted out of UNLV in 2023 and played in the G League and Canadian Elite Basketball League before catching on with the Jazz on a two-way deal during the 2024/25 season. He signed a two-year, two-way contract with Utah in January 2025 and ended up playing out that entire deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Over the course of his season and a half with the Jazz, Harkless appeared in 36 NBA games, making nine starts. The 6’3″ guard averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.1 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per contest and earned praise from head coach Will Hardy for his versatile, rugged defense.

Harkless also put up big numbers in the G League while under contract with the Jazz, averaging 25.3 PPG and 5.0 APG on .452/.382/.784 shooting in 33 total outings for the Salt Lake City Stars.

Harkless, who still has two seasons of two-way eligibility remaining, will join Isaac Jones and 2026 second-round pick Ugonna Onyenso as Detroit’s current two-way players. A player on a two-way deal is eligible to appear in up to 50 regular season games and will earn a salary of $678,882 in 2026/27.