Duop Reath Gets Phoenix's Two-Way Spot as Alex Toohey Is Waived Again: Two Very Different Australian NBA Paths
As at 2:04 pm Adelaide time, Monday 19 October 2026. Contract and roster information can change quickly before the NBA regular season.
The final days of NBA roster construction have delivered contrasting outcomes for two Australians with NBL connections. Duop Reath has secured a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns, while Golden State has waived former Sydney Kings Next Star Alex Toohey. Both developments are confirmed in the NBL's 19 October Australians-abroad report, with the separate transactions also reflected in NBA player news for Reath and reporting on Toohey's release.
The tempting reading is that Reath has won and Toohey has lost. That is too simple. One has an NBA organisation committed to keeping him in its system under a specific, limited contract; the other has been removed from a crowded training-camp roster but could still find a developmental route back. Neither move, on its own, guarantees NBA rotation minutes or determines where either Australian will finish the season.
What Reath actually secured
Phoenix converted Reath's training-camp arrangement into a two-way contract, rather than a standard 15-man roster place. That distinction matters. A two-way player can spend time with the NBA club and its G League affiliate, but is subject to a 50-game NBA regular-season limit under the arrangement described in the NBL's report. It is a genuine NBA foothold, not a promise of a nightly place in the Suns' frontcourt.
For Reath, 30, it nevertheless represents meaningful continuity. The former Illawarra Hawk and Australian Boomer spent three seasons with Portland before arriving in Phoenix's training camp. The Suns had an opportunity to release him at the roster deadline; instead, they chose a structure that keeps him available to the organisation. That is a stronger signal than a camp invitation alone, even if the practical workload remains uncertain.
The basketball fit is easy to understand without pretending the minutes are settled. Reath can offer a different offensive shape from a traditional interior centre, particularly when his perimeter shooting forces a defender away from the basket. But whether that skill earns sustained NBA court time depends on Phoenix's health, match-ups, defensive requirements and how the coaching staff allocates its available frontcourt minutes. A two-way contract solves the roster question; it does not solve the rotation question.
There is also a useful distinction for anyone tracking Australian players from overseas. Reath's next meaningful evidence will be actual NBA appearances, minutes and line-up combinations, not the headline announcing his contract. A game spent with the Suns but outside the rotation tells a different story from a productive stint with the Valley Suns. Both could be part of the same two-way season.
Why Toohey's second release needs context
Toohey's immediate outcome is harsher: Golden State has waived him while reducing its training-camp roster. The former Sydney Kings forward was one of three players released, alongside Tyler Burton and Dalen Terry, according to the NBL's 19 October report and basketball.com.au's transaction account.
The timeline matters. Toohey was selected 52nd in the 2025 NBA Draft, then joined the Warriors' system on a two-way deal. An injury-interrupted first year ended with a December 2025 release. He returned for another chance in 2026 on an Exhibit 10 training-camp arrangement, appeared during the pre-season, and has now been waived again. This is not one unsuccessful try-out being recycled as a fresh setback; it is a second roster decision after a disrupted developmental year.
Golden State's official G League announcement from September 2025 also shows why Toohey originally attracted NBA interest. Across two NBL seasons with Sydney, he built a reputation as a versatile young forward, earning the league's 2024–25 Next Generation Award. Those achievements remain part of his evaluation even though they do not entitle him to an NBA roster place.
Reports have raised the possibility of Toohey joining Golden State's Santa Cruz G League affiliate. That is a potential next step, not a confirmed contract or assignment as at this article's publication cut-off. A G League pathway could offer regular competitive minutes and a chance to rebuild momentum, but it would still require a new opportunity to reach an NBA roster. An Australian NBL return is another theoretical career option, not something supported by a reported agreement here.
The NBL connection is the real through-line
Reath and Toohey reached this point through different stages of the Australian basketball pathway. Reath is an established professional and Boomer seeking to maintain an NBA role; Toohey is a young former Next Star trying to turn draft investment and developmental potential into an enduring professional position in the United States. Their contract labels are different because their immediate career questions are different.
That makes the contrast more useful than a simple roster-winners-and-losers story. For Reath, the question is whether his specialised skill set translates into repeatable NBA minutes. For Toohey, it is whether his next destination gives him enough healthy, consistent basketball to make another NBA audition credible. The right metric for one may be rotation trust; for the other, it may be uninterrupted development.
Neither development changes Buckets' current fantasy product offering: NBL Draft and EuroLeague fantasy are live, while an NBA fantasy competition is not. This is Australian basketball coverage, not a recommendation based on a non-existent Buckets NBA league, invented ownership percentages or speculative fantasy prices.
What to watch next
Three developments will tell us more than the roster headlines: Phoenix's first regular-season frontcourt rotations, Reath's split of NBA and G League appearances, and a verified announcement of Toohey's next club or affiliate. The Suns have made a commitment to keeping Reath in their system. The Warriors have not made the same commitment to Toohey on their current roster. That is the confirmed difference today; the longer-term verdict remains unwritten.
Sources: NBL — Aussies Abroad, 19 October 2026; NBA — Duop Reath player and transaction news; NBA G League — Toohey's original Warriors two-way agreement, September 2025; Basketball.com.au — Reath and Toohey roster developments, 19 October 2026.
Comments