Wade Baldwin's exceptional play in Las Vegas has earned him a spot on the All-NBA Summer League Second Team.

But the real reward for the Portland Trail Blazers' point guard will come in the next 48 hours.

The Blazers must waive Baldwin on or before July 18 or his contract for the 2018-19 NBA season becomes guaranteed and, with that deadline looming, Baldwin has cemented his spot on the Blazers' 15-man regular season roster.

Baldwin has been the linchpin to the Blazers' undefeated run to the summer league championship game and his blend of playmaking, defense and swagger have proven worthy of the Blazers' final roster spot heading into next season. This reality will be news to Baldwin's ears as the third-year point guard entered summer league saying he planned to go "full throttle" to earn the final roster spot. After the Memphis Grizzlies stunningly waived Baldwin one year after drafting him No. 17 overall, the Blazers signed him to a two-way contract and he spent most of the season playing in the G-League.

But late in the season, when the Blazers were fighting for playoff positioning, Baldwin emerged as a factor, earning spot duty in the rotation with his tenacious on-ball defense. He played in three of the Blazers' four postseason games.

Even so, heading into summer league, he found himself in a familiar position: fighting for a roster spot.

"Like I said, I'm full throttle," Baldwin said after a win over the Utah Jazz in the Blazers' summer league opener. "I want to show them my entire game -- assists, rebounding, pushing, defense, everything -- to guarantee my spot on the team. There's nothing more I want than to be part of an NBA team. I'm trying to collect years in this league. That's the hardest thing to do. That's what I'm in it for."

Heading into the summer league championship game, Baldwin has earned a place on the Blazers' roster. Through six summer league games, he's averaging 13.3 points, 7.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.30 steals, while shooting 46 percent from the field. Take away a forgettable 2-for-13 shooting performance in the semifinals on Monday and Baldwin has been spectacular. He scored 20 points in a tournament-opening win over the Jazz, logged a double-double (14 points, 10 assists) in a win over the Boston Celtics and recorded two double-doubles in six games. He enters Tuesday's final against the Los Angeles Lakers ranked second in the tournament in assists, ahead of touted rookie guards Trae Young and Aaron Holiday.

What's more, his understated, steady game -- and stellar defense -- seem to be a perfect fit on the Blazers' bench, where he figures to fight for backup minutes in the rotation behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

"He's really run the team well," Neil Olshey, the Blazers President of Basketball Operations, said Sunday during an ESPN2 telecast of the Blazers-Celtics summer league matchup. He's "shooting the ball better, but more than anything, his on-ball defense is just huge for us. He's controlled tempo, he's had good composure, he's taking care of the ball, which is what you're going to want from guys who are going to play behind Dame and CJ."

With Baldwin poised to assume the 15th and final roster spot, that means center Georgios Papagiannis is expected to be waived.

For Baldwin, the chance to play full-time in the NBA and perhaps join the rotation of a playoff team would be another step in a basketball journey that already has featured a slew of twists and turns.

"My motivation is to play 82 games in an NBA season," Baldwin said after the Blazers beat the Jazz last week. "I've yet to do that. I've been in the G-League, up and down, two-way guy. I want a complete season of 82 games, plus the playoffs, with an NBA team. That's my motivation."

Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman