Nate Darling

Clippers Sign Nate Darling To Exhibit 10 Deal

SEPTEMBER 21: Darling’s contract is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.


SEPTEMBER 20: The Clippers are signing free agent guard Nate Darling to an Exhibit 10 contract, a team source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Darling went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets for 26 total minutes. He also played 13 games for the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has spent the past three seasons as an affiliate player for the Clippers’ NBA G League team, which rebranded as the San Diego Clippers for 2024/25 after moving. He spent a handful of days on a two-way deal with L.A. in 2022/23, but didn’t appear in a regular season game.

Darling missed nearly all of last season with a toe injury, per Rotowire, only appearing in two games. In his last healthy season (’22/23), the 26-year-old averaged 20.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.2 APG on .464/.410/.831 shooting in 40 Showcase Cup and regular season games with the Clips’ affiliate (then in Ontario, CA).

Darling seems likely to be waived and headed back to the NBAGL. In that scenario, he could earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with San Diego. Although it seems unlikely given how long he was out last season, the Clippers technically have an open two-way spot, and Exhibit 10’s can be converted to two-way contracts.

Once Darling’s contract is finalized, the Clippers will have 21 players on their roster, which is the offseason limit. They have 15 players on guaranteed standard deals, a pair on two-way deals, and Darling joining three other players (Kai Jones, Elijah Harkless, RayJ Dennis) on Exhibit 10 deals.

Clippers Sign Joey Hauser, Cut Two Players

The Clippers have officially signed rookie forward Joey Hauser while waiving guard Nate Darling and forward Bryson Williams, the team announced today.

Hauser went undrafted out of Michigan State earlier this year. He averaged 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game in 34 appearances during his final college season, posting an impressive shooting line of .484/.461/.876.

Hauser, whose brother Sam Hauser plays for Boston, signed a two-way contract with the Jazz in July, but was waived last month when Utah decided to bring in Josh Christopher on a two-way deal. Signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract will give the Clippers his G League rights and will put Joey in line for a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League team.

Darling and Williams, who joined the Clippers on Exhibit 10 deals of their own earlier this month, are likely ticketed for Ontario once they clear waivers.

Clippers Waive Brodric Thomas, Sign Nate Darling

The Clippers have waived Brodric Thomas and brought back Nate Darling on an Exhibit 10 deal, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

Thomas was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in late September. He appeared in a total of 44 NBA regular season games from 2020-22 for the Rockets, Cavaliers, and Celtics, averaging 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per contest.

Thomas will likely to end up with the Ontario Clippers, Los Angeles’ G League affiliate. He would earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived by L.A. and then spends at least 60 days with Ontario.

Darling was waived by the Clippers shortly after they signed him to a two-way deal. He played 21 games for Ontario last season, including 11 starts, and averaged 21.3 points in 31.3 minutes per game. His NBA regular season experience is limited to seven outings with Charlotte during the 2020/21 season.

Clippers Waive Nate Darling

The Clippers have waived Nate Darling, the team’s PR department tweets.

It’s a surprise move, considering Los Angeles signed Darling to a two-way deal on Friday and the team hasn’t practiced since the All-Star break. Either the Clippers had a change of heart about how to use their two-way slot or signing and waiving Darling was always the plan in order to get him some extra money on top of his G League salary.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has spent the past couple seasons with the Clippers’ NBAGL affiliate in Ontario, California.

He had a strong showing during the fall Showcase Cup, averaging 20.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.5 APG on .469/.440/.828 shooting in 19 games (31.1 MPG). That has carried over to the 2022/23 regular season with Ontario, as he’s averaging 21.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.0 SPG on .464/.389/.868 shooting in 20 games (31.7 MPG).

The Clippers opened up a two-way spot by waiving Moses Brown last week, which was reportedly a mutual decision after he had reached his two-way games played limit.

Clippers Sign Nate Darling To Two-Way Deal

The Clippers have signed Nate Darling to a two-way contract, the team announced.

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Darling went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has spent the past couple seasons with the Clippers’ G League affiliate in Ontario, California.

He had a strong showing during the fall Showcase Cup, averaging 20.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.5 APG on .469/.440/.828 shooting in 19 games (31.1 MPG). That has carried over to the 2022/23 regular season with Ontario, as he’s averaging 21.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.0 SPG on .464/.389/.868 shooting in 20 games (31.7 MPG).

The Clippers waived Moses Brown earlier today, which was reportedly a mutual decision after he had reached his two-way games played limit. Darling will fill that two-way opening and can be active for up to 15 regular season games. He won’t be playoff-eligible.

Los Angeles still has one standard roster spot open, but both two-way slots are now filled.

Clippers Waive Nate Darling, Malik Fitts, Xavier Moon

The Clippers have removed three players from their preseason roster, announcing today that they’ve waived guard Nate Darling, forward Malik Fitts, and wing Xavier Moon. All three players had been with the team on Exhibit 10 contracts and are candidates to join the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate.

Darling went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets. Last season, the 24-year-old was a fixture in the backcourt for the Clippers’ G League team, averaging 17.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 31 NBAGL appearances (32.4 MPG).

Fitts, 25, spent time in 2020/21 with the Clippers and their G League affiliate after going undrafted out of Saint Mary’s. Last season, he appeared in 15 total games for Utah and Boston, but played a very minimal role for both teams, logging just 63 total minutes. After finishing the season with the Celtics, Fitts had a non-guaranteed salary for ’22/23, but was traded to Indiana in the Malcolm Brogdon deal and was subsequently waived by the Pacers before signing with L.A.

Moon, who was on a two-way contract with the Clippers last season, didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the team in June, but eventually signed a new Exhibit 10 deal. The 27-year-old, who has spent most of his career overseas, got into 10 games with L.A. as an NBA rookie.

With the cuts, the Clippers now have 16 players under contract. Fourteen of those players have guaranteed contracts, while Moussa Diabate has a two-way deal and Moses Brown is on an Exhibit 10 pact. Brown could have his contract converted into a two-way pact before opening night, though it’s unclear if that’s the Clips’ plan.

Clippers Sign Malik Fitts, Nate Darling

The Clippers have signed forward Malik Fitts and guard Nate Darling, the team announced on Wednesday. Terms of the deals weren’t disclosed, but they’re likely non-guaranteed training camp contracts with Exhibit 10 language included.

Fitts, 25, spent time in 2020/21 with the Clippers and their G League affiliate after going undrafted out of Saint Mary’s. Last season, he appeared in 15 total games for Utah and Boston, but played a very minimal role for both teams, logging just 63 total minutes. After finishing the season with the Celtics, Fitts had a non-guaranteed salary for ’22/23, but was traded to Indiana in the Malcolm Brogdon deal and was subsequently waived by the Pacers.

Darling, meanwhile, went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets. Last season, he was a fixture in the backcourt for the Clippers’ G League team, averaging 17.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 31 NBAGL appearances (32.4 MPG).

Both Fitts and Darling look like good bets to be waived before opening night and eventually join the Ontario Clippers in the G League. It’s also possible one or both will be in the mix for L.A.’s open two-way slot.

The Clippers, who made three cuts on Tuesday, now have 19 players on their training camp roster.

2021/22 NBA G League Draft Results

The NBA G League held its draft for the 2021/22 season on Saturday afternoon.

The 28 G League teams affiliated with NBA teams participated in the event, with the G League Ignite and Mexico City Capitanes sitting it out. The Ignite and Capitanes will be taking part in the NBAGL’s Showcase Cup this fall, but won’t be part of the 36-game regular season that tips off in late December.

The first player selected in today’s draft was former St. John’s point guard Shamorie Ponds, who was picked by the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers‘ G League affiliate. Ponds has a little NBA experience, having appeared in four games as a rookie in 2019/20 while on a two-way contract with Toronto.

Among the other notable picks were Nate Darling by the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario at No. 5 and LiAngelo Ball by the Greensboro Swarm at No. 14. Last week, the Clippers and Hornets signed and waived Darling and Ball, respectively, in an effort to secure their affiliate rights, but were unable to get those rights for procedural reasons. The two teams had to use the draft to make sure they landed those players.

The Knicks also signed and waived veteran guard Brandon Knight during the preseason and were unable to get his affiliate rights due to a procedural issue. However, Westchester passed on Knight with the No. 4 overall pick today, and the Heat‘s affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, snatched him up at No. 6. We’ll see if Knight is no longer in the Knicks’ plans or if the Skyforce intend to trade his rights to Westchester.

Lance Stephenson to the Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets) at No. 13 and Dwyane Wade‘s son Zaire Wade to the Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz) at No. 10 were a couple of the other notable picks that played out as expected.

Here are the full 2021/22 G League draft results:


Round One:

  1. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Shamorie Ponds
  2. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Tyler Hagedorn
  3. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Gabe York
  4. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Justin Turner
  5. Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): Nate Darling
  6. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Brandon Knight
  7. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Eddie Stansberry
  8. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Jaylen Johnson
  9. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Michael Gbinije
  10. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Zaire Wade
  11. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Loudon Love
  12. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Alan Griffin
  13. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Lance Stephenson
  14. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): LiAngelo Ball
  15. Lakeland Magic (Magic): TJ Haws
  16. Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): B.J. Taylor
  17. Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Scottie Lindsey
  18. Maine Celtics (Celtics): Isaiah Ross
  19. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Ruot Monyyong
  20. Lakeland Magic (Magic): Marlon Stewart
  21. Stockton Kings (Kings): Joe Young
  22. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Samir Doughty
  23. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Chudier Bile
  24. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Rodney Pryor
  25. Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Tim Bond
  26. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Tyree White
  27. Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Montell McRae
  28. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Cullen Russo

Round Two:

  1. Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Karim Mane
  2. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Kalob Ledoux
  3. Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Gerard Tarin
  4. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Barra Njie
  5. Raptors 905 (Raptors): Tahj Eaddy
  6. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Trevon Duval
  7. Lakeland Magic (Magic): Gary Chivichyan
  8. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Ryan Daly
  9. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Keaton Wallace
  10. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Pedro Bradshaw
  11. Austin Spurs (Spurs): Alexis Wangmene
  12. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Ian DuBose
  13. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Mike Smith
  14. Lakeland Magic (Magic): Jaire Grayer
  15. Raptors 905 (Raptors): Blake Francis
  16. Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Jack Pagenkopf
  17. Lakeland Magic (Magic): Devonte Patterson
  18. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Jordan Allen
  19. Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Devearl Ramsey
  20. Long Island Nets (Nets): Chris Walker
  21. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Eric Demers
  22. Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Derrick Griffin
  23. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): JaQuan Lyle
  24. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Jachai Taylor
  25. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Lydell Elmore
  26. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Ikenna Ndugba
  27. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Tevin King
  28. Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): Kammeon Holsey

Round Three:

  1. South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Elijah Cain
  2. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Landon Taliaferro
  3. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Will Vorhees
  4. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Asante Gist
  5. Stockton Kings (Kings): Princepal Singh
  6. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Trevor John
  7. Raptors 905 (Raptors): Tristan Jarrett
  8. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Devon Baulkman
  9. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Jaylen Bland
  10. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): J.C. Show
  11. Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
  12. Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): No pick
  13. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Joel Ntambwe
  14. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
  15. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Lamonte Bearden
  16. Stockton Kings (Kings): No pick
  17. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
  18. Maine Celtics (Celtics): Lindsey Drew
  19. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Artur Labinowicz
  20. Long Island Nets (Nets): Jaylen Fisher
  21. Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): Randy Onwuasor
  22. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Seth Allen
  23. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Jovan Mooring
  24. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Jermaine Haley
  25. Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Kerwin Roach
  26. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Isaiah Blackmon
  27. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Marlon Taylor
  28. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Jimond Ivey

Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning-rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).

G League training camps open on Monday, with the Showcase Cup tournament tipping off on November 5.

Labissiere, Knight Among Players Eligible For G League Draft

NBA veterans Skal Labissiere and Brandon Knight are among a list of 101 players eligible for the 2021 G League Draft, which takes place tomorrow, October 23.

Some other interesting names on the list, with varying amounts of NBA experience, include Lance Stephenson, Nate Darling, Trevon Duval, Shamorie Ponds, Karim Mane, and Joe Young.

Marc Stein of Substack tweets that Stephenson might land with the Nuggets‘ affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.

Knight was signed and waived last week (Knicks), as was Darling (Clippers), so perhaps there were procedural issues with their affiliate rights, similar to what happened with the Hornets and LiAngelo Ball.

The full G League Draft order can be found here.

Clippers Sign, Waive Nate Darling

The Clippers have signed and waived former Hornets guard Nate Darling, per NBA.com’s transactions log. Once he clears waivers, Darling appears headed to L.A’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario.

Darling, 23, spent last season as a two-way player in Charlotte. He only got into seven NBA games, but he averaged 8.9 points and 2.2 assists in 13 games in the G League bubble in Orlando.

Darling signed with the Hornets after going undrafted out of Delaware last year. He played four seasons for the Fightin’ Blue Hens and earned Colonial Athletic Association first-team honors as a senior.