The Clippers will not exercise their $2,174,880 third-year team option on center Mfiondu Kabengele, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Today was the deadline to pick up rookie scale team options for 2021/22.
Greif adds that Los Angeles will continue to assess the big man’s play throughout the rest of the 2020/21 season, and could sign him to another contract in free agency. Kabengele, the No. 27 pick in the 2019 draft out of Florida State, will enter unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2021 and the Clippers won’t be able to offer him a starting salary worth more than his declined option.
Kabengele saw limited time for playoff-contending L.A. during his rookie season last year, averaging just 3.5 PPG and 0.9 RPG in 5.3 MPG across 12 games with the team.
In 27 games (all starts) for L.A.’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, the 6’9″ center averaged a much more robust 18.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.9 BPG and 1.3 APG.
Kabengele is the only 2019 first-rounder to have his third-year option for ’21/22 declined.
Bad decision, this kid has loads of potential and just needs a shot
I think probably they just turned him down because they could neither spell nor pronounce his name. Also, no one likes fondue. That was just a lame trend in the late 70s and maybe early 80s.
link to howtopronounce.com
;)
actually they could just give him a nickname until they learn how to pronounce his name.
it work with antetokounmpo. ;)
Free Gelly!! He could really be an asset for this team if he got the chance…
Even if he just got some backup minutes, like 15 a night, I’d bet Big Fifi would give the Clips a solid line of 7p, 4reb, 1blk, and 1ast..
If they let him go after this season, they’re going to end up regretting it. You do not release the nephew of Dikembe Mutombo, and come out a winner!!
Seriously though, whichever team that ends up signing Kabengele is going to be getting a steal!! Even right now, he could definitely be a solid backup Center for a contending team. However, with some more practice, another year of getting his body right, and another season under his belt he very well could be rea DDT y to start for someone next year. With that being said, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him do extremely well starting for a team like Detrpit next season or Cleveland after Drummond leaves…
Kabengele is easy to pronounce. First three vowels short. IDK why some say cabin-jeel, maybe that’s in Africa.
Unfortunately, he seems to need to be not just the big man but the biggest man on the court, which in the GL or NCAA, he is, but in the NBA, not. Good activity at FSU, but not ideally proportioned.
“Kabengele is easy to pronounce.”
i’ll never get to your level. ;)
Pretty cool name actually. Then there’s Homer Simpson appreciating fluid cheese… mmm, fondue.
Nice draft pick idiots. Lol. Clippers should just draft one guy a decade since they only draft one good guy per decade…
I know their are cap implications with all these moves but why draft an obviously raw player and not even give him 3 years. Seems you’d better off trading the pick or just drafting a 4 year college player