Mark Pope waited too long to make the call to former Kentucky standout TyTy Washington about joining the Wildcats as a mid-year addition — the Los Angeles Clippers want him instead.

That’s probably fair, if we’re being honest. He did average 34.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals while shooting 65 percent from the field and 56 percent from three in the 2025 Winter Showcase for the San Diego Clippers.

Overall, the 24-year-old out of Phoenix has averaged 19.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 16 G League contests with the franchise. He’s clearly deserving of his next shot in the big leagues — as much as UK could use some additional point guard depth this season in Lexington.

ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report that the fourth-year guard had signed a two-way contract with the Clippers. He’s also played NBA minutes with the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns since coming off the board at No. 29 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The Los Angeles Clippers are signing guard TyTy Washington Jr. to a two-way NBA contract out of their G League San Diego team, sources tell ESPN. Washington has played parts of three NBA seasons and joins the Clippers after averaging 34 points at the G League showcase.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 28, 2025

Washington averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds as a Second Team All-SEC member and All-Freshman Team honoree at Kentucky before declaring for the draft as a one-and-done.

As a pro, he was technically selected by the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night, followed by another trade to the Houston Rockets. In 2023, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, then sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder immediately after before being waived.

From there, he signed back-to-back two-way contracts with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023-24 and the Phoenix Suns in 2024-25, respectively. He signed a training camp deal with the Clippers going into 2025-26, but was waived ahead of the regular season before sticking with the franchise’s G League affiliate.

He’s appeared in 58 total games in the NBA across three seasons, averaging 3.3 points, 1.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per contest. Now, he’ll get his next opportunity with the Clippers after proving himself in the G League.

Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.