Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Five Possible Destinations For Blake Griffin

May 1st, 2017 at 12:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers’ latest playoff flameout — and Blake Griffin‘s latest playoff injury — have raised the chances of a major offseason shakeup in Los Angeles. Griffin and Chris Paul are both expected to opt out this summer and seek maximum deals, and the organization would face major luxury tax payments if both are re-signed.

While Paul is believed to be likely to stay in L.A., the Clippers may not be as committed to retaining Griffin, despite owner Steve Ballmer’s pledge to spend whatever it takes to keep the current team together. Mitch Lawrence of Forbes examines five possible landing spots for the Clippers forward.

Knicks — Carmelo Anthony may be ready to leave New York and join his friend Paul in Los Angeles, where he already owns a home. Knicks president Phil Jackson could be interested in adding Griffin through a sign-and-trade deal for Anthony if both players are willing to consent to the move.
Thunder — Griffin played college ball at Oklahoma, and the franchise needs a second star to pair with Russell Westbrook. The Thunder are nearly $12MM over the cap for next season, so they would have to be creative in opening space. Lawrence suggests letting Andre Roberson leave in free agency and finding a team willing to trade for Enes Kanter, who still has two years and about $36.5MM left on his contract.
Nuggets — Cap room won’t be a problem in Denver, which will have about $40MM available if Danilo Gallinari opts out as he has indicated. The Nuggets have made trade offers for Griffin in the past, Lawrence writes, but never enough to tempt the Clippers. If a sign-and-trade is in play, Lawrence states that Denver would be willing to part with anyone except Nikola Jokic to make it work.
Celtics — Boston has the cap space to make a max offer to Griffin and the assets to swing a deal. The Celtics have a wealth of future draft choices, including the potential No.1 pick this year and the Nets’ unprotected first-rounder next season. Even though Boston was the top seed in the East, the front office is searching for star players to build around.
Pacers — Paul George‘s desire to play in L.A. has become an open secret around the league, and this could be the Clippers’ chance to land him before the Lakers do. George, who turns 27 this week, would be a new young star for the Clippers, while the Pacers could build around a formidable front line featuring Griffin and Myles Turner.

Knicks, Clippers Expected To Re-Open Trade Talks

May 1st, 2017 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Another early playoff exit for the Clippers may reignite trade talks with the Knicks involving Carmelo Anthony, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

The teams had extensive discussions before the February deadline, but New York’s front office turned down several L.A. proposals. The difference this time might be shooting guard J.J. Redick, whom the Clippers were not willing to include before, but may be available now in a sign-and-trade.

Like many observers, Berman expects a shakeup in Los Angeles this summer. Chris Paul is almost certain to opt out and re-sign, and he would love to see the team acquire Anthony, a long-time friend. An offer centered around Redick and Austin Rivers might be enough to make it happen.

The 32-year-old Redick would replace Jamal Crawford in the package that the Clippers were offering in February. An 11-year veteran, he averaged 15.0 points per game this season and shot .429 from 3-point range. One of the top long-distance shooters in the league throughout his career, Redick would fill an obvious need in New York.

Rivers, 25, would fill another need with his defensive prowess and his flexibility to play three positions. He re-signed with the Clippers last summer and is under contract through next season, with a $12.65MM player option for 2018/19.

Berman estimates a new deal for Redick starting at $11MM, which would combine with Rivers’ $11.8MM salary to get the Clippers close to Anthony’s $28MM price (including a 15% trade kicker). Another Knick who might be included in the deal is Courtney Lee (more than $11.7MM next year), whom the Clippers asked about in February, so the trade could become much larger. L.A. doesn’t have a first-round pick to offer until 2021.

With a no-trade clause in hand, Anthony will have final approval on any deal. While the thought of joining Paul, DeAndre Jordan and possibly Blake Griffin on a contending team might appeal to him, Berman notes that personal matters could affect his decision. Anthony recently separated from his wife, LaLa, and may not want to move far away from his son.

While that will play out over the summer, it’s clear that the playoffs have changed the dynamics of the deal, just as Knicks president Phil Jackson predicted at his press conference last month.

“You lose in the first round, it didn’t work out, we gotta change some people on our team,’’ Jackson said. “So there may be some quick outs may change some people’s minds as to what they’re going to do.”

Community Shootaround: Favorite Pierce Moment

April 30th, 2017 at 9:11pm CST by Austin Kent

When the Clippers fell to the Jazz in Game 7 of their first-round series the legendary, 19-year career of former Celtics forward Paul Pierce officially came to an end. The man had made no secret of the fact that the 2016/17 campaign would be his final campaign in the NBA.

For nearly two decades Pierce routinely established himself as one of the game’s deadliest offensive weapons in the clutch, decorating his resume with a laundry list of accomplishments along the way.

Although he was the 2008 Finals MVP when the C’s knocked off the Lakers in an instant classic battle, it’s the endurance and longevity that he showed throughout his time in the league that stands out the most.

A Top 20 all-time scorer with 26,397 total points, Pierce showed up year in and year out to lead Boston’s offense. From 1998-2013, Pierce averaged 21.8 points per game all while wearing Celtics green.

Though not quite as memorable as his legacy with the C’s franchise, Pierce also reaffirmed his spot in NBA history by emerging as a critical factor in postseason appearances with the Nets and Wizards.

Simply put, there’s no denying that Pierce was an icon of his generation and an exemplary pro. Where there may be some debate, however, is what Pierce story or chapter stands out as the most memorable.

Was it the late-nineties dynamic duo he formed along with Antoine Walker? His incredible return to the court at age 22 after being stabbed in a nightclub? His brief tenure as a Raptor killer in the twilight of his career? The back-to-back Finals battle with the Lakers? The Infamous Wheelchair Incident of 2008?

Sure, there are too many to choose from, but we’re going to ask you to do it anyway.

We’ll miss you Truth.

Insiders Say Griffin, Paul Will Stay

April 30th, 2017 at 6:06pm CST by Austin Kent

Insiders says that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin love it with the Clippers and want to stay, writes Mark Heisler of the Orange County Register. Both have signed new contracts with the Clippers in the past without entertaining a presentation from another franchise.

Clippers Rumors: Ballmer, Paul, Griffin

April 28th, 2017 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

With the Clippers looking to extend their season Friday night in Utah, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com has published an interesting, in-depth feature on the team, exploring the last few years in Los Angeles and what might come next for the franchise. The piece features several interesting details and stories on the Clippers and is worth a read in full, but here are some of the highlights from Arnovitz:

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer maintains that he has no interest in blowing up the club’s roster, even if L.A. can’t get out of the first round. “I love those guys, and I want those guys back,” Ballmer said.
Ballmer also told Arnovitz, as he said recently to Matthew Rocco of FOX Business, that he’s not averse to going deeper into tax territory as the Clippers continue to build the roster and re-sign key pieces. Ballmer explained to Rocco that because the value of the franchise keeps increasing, he’s willing to lose a little money along the way if necessary. “If we’re in it and we’re playing for a championship, I don’t mind the tax,” Ballmer said to Arnovitz.
Sources close to the Clippers tell Arnovitz that they continue to expect Chris Paul to re-sign with the team, but Blake Griffin’s future is less certain. One source, “in good humor,” suggested that it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Paul go through a public process of taking meetings with other teams before re-signing with the Clippers, while Griffin is more likely to go through the process privately and perhaps land elsewhere.
Several of Paul’s teammates told Arnovitz that the veteran point guard insists that his teammates are able to “absorb criticism at any moment,” and that you’re likely to keep hearing from CP3 about a blown coverage even if a replay shows it wasn’t your fault. “If I had to go to war, I’m going with Chris every day,” said one member of the Clippers. “I just wish he was wrong more. I wish he would say, ‘My fault.'” Despite Paul’s ornery nature, most Clippers teammates and staffers say that he has “mellowed with age,” Arnovitz writes.

Clippers Rumors: Rivers, Offseason, G. Green

April 26th, 2017 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

After losing Game 5 at home to the Jazz on Tuesday night, the Clippers will head to Utah down 3-2, on the brink of elimination. And as soon as they’re bounced from the postseason, which could happen as early as Friday, the Clips will face some potentially franchise-altering decisions, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical outlines. According to Wojnarowski, it’s not “realistic” to believe that the Clippers will bring all their key free agents back and go deeper into the luxury tax if they’re ousted in the first round on the heels of another Blake Griffin injury.

While there may be some roster changes coming in Los Angeles, the Clippers are very unlikely to undergo any sort of front office upheaval, per Wojnarowski, who says that Doc Rivers isn’t leaving the club. Rivers has owner Steve Ballmer‘s trust and confidence, and the Clippers like their current front office structure, which includes Lawrence Frank in an executive VP of basketball operations role, Wojnarowski writes.

Still, the Clippers’ brain trust will have a lot to think about if the team’s season comes to an end this weekend. Here’s more on the franchise:

Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times breaks down several scenarios for the Clippers’ offseason, suggesting it would be “stunning” if the team were to bring back its entire core after another early postseason exit. In Plaschke’s view, the most likely scenario involves retooling the team around Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, with Griffin and J.J. Redick heading elsewhere.
A past roster decision is coming back to haunt Rivers and the Clippers in this year’s postseason, according to James Blancarte of Basketball Insiders, who details the team’s decision to waive Joe Ingles in 2014. The Australian forward caught on with the Jazz shortly after being cut by L.A., and is playing a key role for Utah in these playoffs.
Before he signed with the Celtics last summer, Gerald Green appeared to be on the verge of signing with the Clippers, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Sources tell Deveney that the Clips believed they had Green locked up before he ultimately landed with Boston. Green likely wouldn’t have been a postseason difference-maker for Los Angeles, but he did have a big game for the Celtics on Sunday, when he poured in 18 points in Game 4.

Poll: Which 2-2 Series Will End In Upset?

April 25th, 2017 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Last year’s NBA Finals combatants, the Cavaliers and Warriors, made quick work of their first round playoff opponents, dispatching the Pacers and Trail Blazers respectively in four games apiece. However, many of the other first round series around the NBA remain very much up in the air.

Currently, four series are tied at 2-2, with two of those Game Fives scheduled for tonight, and two more on tap for Wednesday. The Clippers and Jazz have each split their home games, resulting in a 2-2 tie, while the No. 7 seeded Grizzlies won two home games over the Spurs following David Fizdale‘s post-Game 2 “take that for data” rant, pulling even in that series. Those four teams will be in action tonight.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 seeded Celtics find themselves tied with the No. 8 Bulls in an unusual series in which road teams are 4-0 so far. Meanwhile, the Hawks ripped through the Wizards‘ defense in two games in Atlanta, evening that series at 2-2. Both of those series will resume on Wednesday.

In each of those four series, the higher seed maintains the advantage, with two of the final three games on their home court. But most of those higher seeds don’t look as formidable as they did entering the postseason.

What do you think? Will any of these series result in upsets? If the Jazz are able to knock off the Clippers, should that series even be viewed as a legit upset, given the absence of Blake Griffin and the teams’ identical regular season records?

Vote below on which lower seeds will make it through the first round — you can pick as many as you want. After placing your vote, share your thoughts in the comments section!

Which lower seeds in 2-2 series will make it through the first round?

Jazz (5) over Clippers (4) 59.08% (914 votes)

Hawks (5) over Wizards (4) 14.87% (230 votes)

Bulls (8) over Celtics (1) 13.70% (212 votes)

Grizzlies (7) over Spurs (2) 7.56% (117 votes)

None 4.78% (74 votes)

Total Votes: 1,547

Clippers Expect Austin Rivers To Return For Game 5

April 24th, 2017 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

4:18 pm: Rivers said his son will play in Tuesday’s contest, but he’ll be on a minutes restriction, as Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link).

12:44 pm: Health issues have wreaked havoc on the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Jazz and Clippers, with standout big men Rudy Gobert and Blake Griffin both sustaining injuries of varying severity during the first four games. One player who has yet to make his 2017 postseason debut in the series appears to be ready to return though.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Clippers expect Austin Rivers to play in Game 5 on Tuesday. Rivers will be on a minutes restriction for the game, league sources tell Wojnarowski.

Rivers was initially sidelined with a left hamstring back in March, with head coach Doc Rivers suggesting earlier this month that the injury was “a little more serious” than initially believed. Shortly after he first went down, the younger Rivers said that he expected to get back on the court in time for the start of the playoffs, but his return was delayed by another week and a half.

Assuming Rivers is able to play on Tuesday, his return will give the Clippers some flexibility to use smaller lineups, particularly with Griffin sidelined for the postseason. In addition to providing solid perimeter defense, Rivers will give Los Angeles another outside shooting option — he made a career-high 37.1% of his three-point attempts during the regular season.

The Clippers and Jazz are tied at 2-2 heading into Game 5.

Clippers Maintain Title Dreams Without Griffin

April 23rd, 2017 at 8:57pm CST by Austin Kent

The Clippers have every intention of competing for a title even with the injured Blake Griffin on the sidelines, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register writes. “It’s not the best thing that could have ever happened to us,” teammate Chris Paul said, “but it’s not the end of the world. We still are going to go out there. We know we got a job to do. We got a big game (Sunday), Game 4, and we go out there expecting to win.”

Clippers Notes: Griffin, Paul, Redick

April 22nd, 2017 at 9:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Blake Griffin, who was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason with a toe injury, can become a free agent this summer, but he may not have many teams lining up to give him a long-term max deal, Kevin O’ Connor of The Ringer contends. O’Connor details Griffin’s injury history, which includes several ailments on each of his legs, and believes it will cause rival teams to be cautious when making the big man a multi-year offer in free agency. Griffin could always elect not to activate his ETO and stay with the Clippers, though the $21.4MM he would receive in the 2017/18 season is less than the annual salary he’s likely to receive on the open market.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

The window to trade Griffin closed over a season ago and the Clippers missed their chance at getting value for him, O’Connor notes in the same piece. The scribe argues that if GM Doc Rivers had pulled the trigger years ago, the team would have much more depth today and players such as Paul Pierce and Raymond Felton wouldn’t be soaking up significant playoff minutes.
Chris Paul is expected to re-sign with the Clippers, but O’Connor (same piece) wonders if the team should be worried about Paul finding a more attractive option in free agency. He speculates that the Spurs could be a threat should the franchise open up the necessary cap space to give Paul a maximum-salary contract.
Sam Amick of USA Today (video link) isn’t sure owner Steve Ballmer is going to sign off on paying luxury tax payments again for a team that doesn’t have a clear path at a championship. In addition to Paul and Griffin searching for max deals this summer, J.J. Redick will be a free agent and Amick estimates that the Duke product will warrant a deal that pays him $18MM per year.