LaDontae Henton

Clippers Waive LaDontae Henton

One of the Clippers camp invitees is no longer on the roster, with the team confirming that LaDontae Henton has been waived. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent later this week if and when he clears waivers, and there’s a good chance he ultimately ends up with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, L.A.’s G League affiliate.

Henton, 25, went undrafted in 2015 after playing his college ball at Providence. Since then, the 6’6″ small forward has spent time with teams in Spain and the Philippines. He also played for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League last season, averaging 13.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG with a .402/.383/.735 shooting line in 37 games.

The Clippers ensured in August that they’d secured Henton’s returning G League rights, acquiring him in a trade with Santa Cruz, so he’ll be eligible to join L.A.’s new affiliate.

The Clippers now have 17 players on NBA contracts and one on a two-way deal, so they’ll have to make at least a couple more roster moves before opening night.

Clippers Sign LaDontae Henton

SEPTEMBER 28: Henton’s deal with the Clippers is now official, according to RealGM’s log of NBA transactions.

AUGUST 24: The Clippers have reached an agreement with veteran forward LaDontae Henton and will sign him to a training camp contract, a league source tells Chris Reichert of 2 Ways & 10 Days (Twitter link). According to Reichert, the deal will include an Exhibit 10 clause, meaning it’ll be a one-year, minimum salary contract.

Henton, 25, went undrafted in 2015 after playing his college ball at Providence. Since then, the 6’6″ small forward has spent time with teams in Spain and the Philippines. He also played for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League last season, averaging 13.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG with a .402/.383/.735 shooting line in 37 games.

Because Henton played for Santa Cruz last year, the Warriors’ G League affiliate will still hold his returning rights heading into the 2017/18 season. The Clippers’ new G League team, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, will have to trade for those rights in order to make him an affiliate player this fall. Convert Henton’s Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal would be another way L.A. could hang onto him.

Once the Clippers officially finalize their reported agreements with Henton and Marshall Plumlee, the team will have 19 players under contract, one short of the 20-man offseason limit.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Wizards, Johnson

The Knicks‘ hope that either Duke big man Jahlil Okafor or Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell will still be on the board when the team picks at No. 4 isn’t likely to pan out, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. According to a league source, the Sixers, who pick third, still have a firm top three of Karl-Anthony Towns, Russell, and Okafor, and Philly won’t let any of that trio slip past them, Berman notes. There is also little chance of New York gambling on Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis, who dazzled scouts during his Friday showcase, the Post scribe adds. “The body’s a long way off so he’s couple of years away from impact,’’ one NBA scout said of Porzingis. “He’s going to look great in a workout but he’s a young European who hasn’t played much. Too much risk at [No.] 4 for the Knicks.’’

Here’s more out of the NBA’s Eastern Conference:

  • The Pistons have workouts scheduled today for Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), Le’Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State), Dustin Hogue (Iowa State), and LaDontae Henton (Providence), the team announced (on Twitter).
  • Working out for the Wizards on Monday will be Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington), Rashad Madden (Arkansas), Jarell Martin (LSU), Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Jordan Sibert (Dayton), and Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), the team announced.
  • The Knicks‘ scheduled workout for Arizona forward Stanley Johnson, who I recently profiled, was moved from Friday to today, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. New York has also been trying to bring in Murray State point guard Cameron Payne, who is suddenly a hot commodity, for a showcase, but the two sides have been unable to agree on a date, Begley adds.