LA Clippers convert C.J. Williams’ deal to two-way contract
By Noah Shatzer
After using their first two-way contract on Summer League standout Jamil Wilson, the Clippers have converted guard C.J. Williams’ contract to the team’s second two-way deal.
Michael Scotto, a senior NBA writer for Basketball Insiders, reports that the Clippers are converting Williams to a two-way contract for the upcoming season.
Los Angeles Clippers are converting guard C.J. Williams to a two-way contract, a league source told @BBallInsiders.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) October 14, 2017
Williams, who was initially signed to a training camp contract, is the Clippers’ second two-way player for the 2017-2018 season as the team signed Summer League standout Jamil Wilson to a two-way deal. When Williams was signed, a clause was put into his contract that allowed the Clippers to convert his contract to a two-way deal if they were pleased with what they saw from Williams.
Undrafted out of NC State in 2012, Williams spent the past few seasons bouncing between the D-League (now the G-League) and various leagues over in Europe. With the Texas Legends last year, the guard shot 38.6 percent from three and averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 50 games.
Williams appeared in four preseason games for LA, capped off by a performance of 8 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals in the Clippers’ final game of the preseason against the Lakers.
In the new collective bargaining agreement, the league introduced two new roster slots where teams can sign players to “a two-way contract,” which allows them to spend a finite amount of time with their respective NBA team and the rest of their season with a G-League affiliate. This means that Williams will spend the majority of his time with the Agua Caliente Clippers but will be called up to the main roster every once and a while if an injury occurs or if the team needs some added depth at guard.
Choosing Williams over other training camp-signed players such as Tyrone Wallace and Marshall Plumlee means that the Clippers were looking to use their second two-way contract on a player who could make an immediate impact for the team instead of a younger player who still needed to grow.