Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Sign Marreese Speights To One-Year Deal

July 12th, 2016 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 12: The Clippers have formally announced their deal with Speights and officially introduced him as a Clipper (Twitter link).

JULY 8: Veteran big man Marreese Speights will be moving from Western Conference contender to another, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports that Speights has reached an agreement to sign with the Clippers. It’s a one-year deal, per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Speights, who turns 29 in August, spent the last three seasons with the Warriors, appearing in a total of 227 regular-season games – and another 41 playoff contests – for Golden State. Although Speights didn’t average more than 16 minutes per game in any of his three years with the Dubs, his production in limited action was very solid. In 11.6 minutes per game in 2015/16, the veteran big man averaged 7.1 PPG and 3.3 RPG, and even shot 38.7% from three-point range.

Having stayed over the cap to re-sign some of their own free agents, the Clippers are also using their mid-level exception on Wesley Johnson, which doesn’t leave the team with much spending flexibility. As such, it’s no surprise that Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Speights is signing with the Clippers for the veteran’s minimum. For a player with Speights’ experience, that will work out to a $1,403,611 salary for the 2016/17 season.

The Warriors, of course, would also have been able to offer Speights a minimum-salary deal, though it’s not entirely clear whether such an offer was on the table. If the former Florida Gator chose the Clippers over the Warriors, he’s likely seeking a bigger role — in Los Angeles, there’s an opening in the frontcourt rotation following Cole Aldrich‘s departure.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Paul Pierce Expected To Play Next Season

July 11th, 2016 at 10:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Clippers small forward Paul Pierce intends to play next season, a source close to Pierce informed Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The 38-year-old Pierce appeared in 68 regular-season games with them last season, averaging 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds. He also played in five postseason games.

Pacific Notes: Sanders, Kings, Joerger, Smith

July 10th, 2016 at 10:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite losing two centers this summer, the Warriors haven’t reached out to Larry Sanders, writes Monte Poole of CSNBayArea. The former Bucks big man was an elite rim protector before he walked away from the game in December of 2014, citing anxiety and depression. Sanders is considering a comeback and sparked speculation on Saturday when he sent out two messages on Twitter: an image of a cavalier and a scene from a 1979 movie titled “The Warriors.” Golden State needs to find replacements for Andrew Bogut, who was traded to Dallas to create cap room for Kevin Durant, and Festus Ezeli, who signed with the Trail Blazers as a free agent.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

The Kings are getting plenty of calls from teams interested in Rudy Gay, Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore, tweets James Ham of CSNCalifornia. So far, they haven’t heard an offer they like.
New Kings coach Dave Joerger doesn’t plan to coach any more summer league games, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Joerger said he started out in that role to set the tone for the rest of the staff.
The Kings and Clippers are among the teams that worked out J.R. Smith‘s brother this weekend in Las Vegas, tweets Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. Chris Smith‘s only NBA experience came in two games with the Knicks in 2013.
Ryan McDonough’s first plan for a quick turnaround in Phoenix didn’t work, so now he’s rebuilding through the draft, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. With two picks in the top eight, the Suns grabbed highly regarded power forward prospects Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss. Their only free agent pickup so far this summer is veteran shooting guard Jared Dudley for $30MM over three years, a modest sum in this year’s market. “That’s certainly the most sustainable way to do it,” McDonough said about his draft strategy. “If you can draft those guys and have them under control for four years on the rookie scale and then have a bunch of advantages in terms of contract extensions and full Bird rights, that really helps.”

Clippers Viewed Seraphin As Alternative To Speights

July 8th, 2016 at 10:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers viewed former Knicks big man Kevin Seraphin as an alternative if an affordable deal could not be worked out with Marreese Speights, who agreed to a contract with Los Angeles earlier today, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter).

Clippers Re-Sign Austin Rivers

July 8th, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Will Joseph

JULY 8th, 7:16pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

8:25pm: Rivers’ deal is worth $35.7MM over three years, per Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

JULY 2nd, 7:00pm: Austin Rivers has agreed to re-sign with the Clippers, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth $35MM+, according to Dan Woike of the SoCal News Group. There is a player option in the final year of the contract, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

The signing would indicate that the Clippers are out on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes unless they move one of their stars, Shelburne surmises (ESPN Now link). The Clippers met with Durant on Friday in the New York area and they are trying to retain their own free agents, including Jamal Crawford and center Cole Aldrich, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical writes.

“It was tough. But after heavy thinking I decided I wanted to come back. I’m happy with my decision,” Rivers said, per Shelburne.

Rivers met with the Clippers Friday and was also expected to meet to talk to the Knicks and possibly the Trail Blazers, too. Rivers, in a move that was anticipated, opted out of his contract prior to July 1st. The combo guard was set to earn $3,344,106 next season, but with the salary cap’s rise, he was a lock to land a more lucrative – and longer – deal in free agency.

The 23-year-old made 67 appearances for Los Angeles this past season, averaging 8.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.9 minutes per outing to accompany a shooting line of .438/.335/.681. Rivers, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, has career averages of 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists through 273 contests.

Team president and coach, Doc Rivers, who is Austin’s father, has said that he wants to re-sign as many of the Clippers’ free agents as possible.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Clippers Re-Sign Luc Mbah A Moute

July 8th, 2016 at 7:12pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8th, 7:12pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

JULY 4th, 3:46pm: Mbah a Moute has agreed to a two-year, $4.5MM contract with the Clippers, tweets Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, the team will use the bi-annual exception to complete the deal, which includes a second-year player option.

2:46pm: The Clippers have been active in recent days when it comes to reaching agreements with their own free agents, and are on the verge of locking up another one. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link), Los Angeles is finalizing a new deal for veteran forward Luc Mbah a Moute.

Mbah a Moute, who turns 30 in September, started 61 of his 75 games for the Clippers last season. Although he averaged just 3.1 PPG, a career-low, he was relied upon for his defense rather than his offense, providing versatility and reliability on that end of the floor.

Assuming the Clippers finalize an agreement with Mbah a Moute, he will become the fourth free agent the Clippers have agreed to re-sign in four days. The team lost Jeff Green to the Magic and Cole Aldrich to the Timberwolves, but has struck deals to bring back Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers, and Wesley Johnson.

Jamal Crawford Re-Signs With Clippers

July 8th, 2016 at 7:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 8th, 7:12pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

JULY 3rd, 5:32pm: The Clippers will re-sign veteran guard Jamal Crawford for $42MM over three years, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

Crawford had been reported as unhappy with L.A.’s initial offer and was considered a threat to leave, with at least five teams having interest. The Clippers’ first offer was $12M for one season, according to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

The 36-year-old Crawford is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, an Award he has captured three times. He averaged 14.2 points per night in 79 games with the Clippers this season.

Crawford, who made $5.675MM during 2015/16, is the second Clippers guard to re-sign this weekend. Austin Rivers inked a three-year, $37.5MM deal on Saturday.

Clippers One Of Few Teams With TPE Left

July 8th, 2016 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll be updating our full list of traded player exceptions soon, once all of the recently-reported trades become official, but we can expect many of the TPEs on that list to disappear. As Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets, the Cavaliers, Thunder, and Clippers may end up being the only teams with trade exceptions when the dust settles.

And-Ones: Calderon, Davis, Sullinger

July 7th, 2016 at 12:58am CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks big man Kyle O’Quinn says the team’s offseason moves should translate into a playoff berth in 2016/17, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I’m excited about every year, but this year it looks so clear,’’ O’Quinn told Berman. “A lot of people will put us in there. It’ll be a different element in training camp instead of being a startup trying to shock the world. We made a lot of changes and it looks like the playoffs, but you got to put the work in.”

Here’s the latest from around the NBA:

The Bulls and Sixers had discussions about Philly acquiring Jose Calderon, but the two sides were unable to reach a deal and the point guard was traded to the Lakers instead, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
Several teams are looking to clear cap room to make a run at Bucks restricted free agent Miles Plumlee, Aldridge tweets.
Unrestricted free agent Glen Davis, who sat out last season after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments, a cyst, and bone spurs in his left ankle, has resumed basketball activities and is looking to catch on with an NBA club, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets.
The Celtics face a tough decision regarding restricted free agent Jared Sullinger, with the team in need of his rebounding, but not in the position to match a large offer sheet by another team, were the big man to sign one this offseason, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com.
The Hawks are still actively trying to improve the team and are looking to add another frontcourt player and a point guard, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution notes. One big man option for Atlanta could be Kris Humphries, who expressed a desire to return during his exit interview with the team, Vivlamore adds.
Clippers guard C.J. Wilcox will have surgery to repair a broken right hand on Friday, the team announced. Wilcox was given a timeline of four-to-six weeks before he will be able to return to basketball-related activities, according to the team.
The Lakers are pleased with what they have seen in summer league play from 2016 lottery pick Brandon Ingram, Joey Ramirez of NBA.com writes. “I’m very excited about what he can do,” coach Luke Walton said. “Obviously he’s young and there’ s a lot of work to do. This is a grown man’s league. But as far as knowing how to play the game and the skill set of being able to handle the ball, bring it up, post up, his defense — he’s been all over the place defensively, getting deflections for us — I’m very excited about the way he’s played so far.”

Ray Allen Considering NBA Comeback

July 6th, 2016 at 8:22am CST by Luke Adams

As the Warriors consider veteran free agents willing to sign on minimum salaries to help fill out their roster, Ray Allen‘s name has surfaced in recent days as a player Golden State may call. As it turns out, Allen is indeed mulling a comeback and his representatives have reached out to the Warriors, league sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.

According to Broussard, Allen isn’t entirely sure that he wants to return to the NBA after not having appeared in a game since 2014, but he’s “intrigued” by the possibility of competing for another championship. Broussard reports that the longtime sharpshooter would also consider the Cavaliers, Spurs, and Clippers, in addition to the Warriors.

Per Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com, Allen’s reps have also reached out to the Cavs, and the interest between Cleveland and the 40-year-old is mutual. However, even though Allen and LeBron James are “extremely close,” the Finals MVP hasn’t been recruiting his former teammate so far, tweets Haynes.

As for the Warriors, they remain undecided on whether they want to pursue Allen, says Broussard. Based on what we’ve seen so far this week, with Zaza Pachulia and David West agreeing to join the team on below-market deals, Golden State may have its pick of veteran contributors, so the club figures to do its homework on all potential options.

Allen, who turns 41 later this month, last played for the Heat, helping the team win a championship in 2012/13 and get back to the NBA Finals in 2013/14. By the end of his final year in Miami, he was averaging well below his career mark of 18.9 PPG, but he still shot an impressive 39.8% on three-pointers during those two seasons with the Heat.