Former two-way player Ángel Delgado will play in China next season

The Clippers re-signed Johnathan Motley to a two-way contract, but they elected not to re-sign Ángel Delgado with their second two-way, instead giving that spot to rookie forward Amir Coffey.

As a result, Delgado is heading overseas and cashing in with the Chinese Basketball Association.

As reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, Delgado will be playing for the Beijing Royal Fighters next year. The Royal Fighters are the current home of former NBA All-Star and CBA legend Stephon Marbury; former NBAers Pierre Jackson and Shavlik Randolph also played for the team last season.

Delgado had a wonderful year in the G League last season for the Agua Caliente Clippers, earning Rookie of the Year, but the Clippers never managed to find minutes for him on the NBA roster. He only played in two games, one of which was the day of the trade deadline when the team barely had enough healthy players after executing three separate deals during that time.

The roster has fewer bigs this season, but also less opportunity to develop young players. Motley is further along his developmental curve than Delgado, which may be why the Clippers prioritized him over the Seton Hall product.

Regardless, Delgado has secured an impressive contract for his first year overseas. Lance Stephenson, a nine-year NBA veteran, reportedly received less money from the CBA for the upcoming season. Even compared to NBA salaries, Delgado will be receiving almost as much money as JaMychal Green this year and more than every Clipper on a rookie contract.

It is probably still Delgado’s dream to play in the NBA, and hopefully he has an outstanding season in Beijing that once again puts him on the radar of American teams. Until then, congrats to Delgado for parlaying his first professional season into a solid payday.