- Former Indiana University point guard Yogi Ferrell have predraft workouts for the Clippers and Lakers, among other teams, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
- I examined the offseason ahead for the Clippers earlier today.
The theory among the teams eager to pursue Kevin Durant this summer is that the Thunder’s second-round series against the Spurs will decide whether he leaves Oklahoma City, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Durant would stay if the Thunder win and leave if they lose, Stein relays, stressing that it’s merely an assumption among the front offices. The Spurs, with the series tied 1-1, indeed have designs on luring Durant to San Antonio, Stein hears, echoing what several rival executives suggested to Chris Mannix of The Vertical in March.
Zach Lowe of ESPN.com recently compared the talk about Durant joining the Spurs as “eerily similar” to the early rumblings that connected LaMarcus Aldridge to San Antonio last year. Still, the Warriors loom as another powerful suitor, and The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in February at that they would be significant front-runners for Durant if he were to leave the Thunder. Golden State is optimistic about its chances, and chatter has gone on since the Warriors’ record 24-0 start about the kinship Durant formed on Team USA with Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, Stein writes. The Wizards, Heat, Celtics, Rockets, Lakers and Clippers are planning hard pushes for Durant, too, according to Stein, who cautions that it’s premature to peg any team aside from the Thunder as the favorite to land him.
Neither the Warriors nor the Spurs have the cap flexibility to sign Durant for his max of an estimated $26MM for next season without making trades, waiving players via the stretch provision, or both. The Vertical’s Bobby Marks illustrated a scenario involving maneuvers that would give the Warriors enough room to sign Durant, and Danny Leroux of The Sporting News laid out San Antonio’s path. The Clippers would have to offload either Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan, as I noted in our offseason outlook for the team earlier today.
The teams who assume Durant will stay with the Thunder if Oklahoma City advances to the next round of the playoffs suggest he’d go for a two-year contract with a player option on year two, the same sort of contract LeBron James favors, according to Stein. That would allow Durant the flexibility for him to hit free agency again next summer, when Russell Westbrook‘s contract expires, and it would represent the most lucrative path for the former MVP, as I examined. Still, Durant told Stein at the All-Star break that he hadn’t considered such a contract structure.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports Images
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise as the summer approaches.
Keeping the stars around
Coach/executive Doc Rivers made it clear after the Clippers’ first-round playoff ouster that he isn’t inclined to trade any of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan, in spite of remarks he made before the season indicating that he would considering doing so if the team came up short in the playoffs again this year. Injuries had much to do with the latest postseason disappointment for the Clippers, who played without Paul and Griffin for the final two games of their series against the Blazers. It was Griffin’s left quadriceps that ultimately ended his season, but it was the right hand he broke when he punched assistant equipment manager Mathias Testi that brought trade rumors to the forefront. Nearly every team reportedly inquired to see if the Clippers would trade the former No. 1 pick, but Rivers wouldn’t budge, tabling the decision until after the season, and now it appears he’s chosen to ride it out with him. So, Rivers must shift his focus toward finding a way to keep Griffin and Paul in the summer of 2017, when they can both opt out.
Free agency ahead for supporting cast
Paul, Griffin, Jordan and J.J. Redick are the only members of the Clippers rotation who aren’t on expiring contracts, don’t have player options for this summer and aren’t pondering retirement. Paul Pierce, who turns 39 in October, is 50-50 on whether to play another season, and while Rivers feels he has one more season left in him, Pierce seemed to be running on fumes this year. Jeff Green can play the same positions, but he’ll be a free agent in July, and his market value is difficult to peg. The 26.3 minutes per game he saw for the Clippers after they traded for him at the deadline would have matched a career low if extrapolated over a full season.
Jamal Crawford saw an uptick in minutes, and while his production was off, he won his third career Sixth Man of the Year award after restoring Rivers’ faith in him. Crawford wished he was a free agent last year amid trade rumors, and while he said after the season he’d like to be back with the Clippers, it remains to be seen if he’s truly comfortable in L.A. Austin Rivers calls Crawford his favorite teammate, but regardless of whether Crawford stays or goes, the presence of Doc Rivers is probably enough to keep his son in a Clippers uniform, even if he opts out, as his father expects him to do. Doc Rivers also thinks Wesley Johnson and Cole Aldrich will opt out, and while Rivers indicated he’d like to re-sign all the team’s soon-to-be free agents, a group that includes surprise starter Luc Mbah a Moute, it’s reasonable to suspect the Clippers rotation will look different next year, given the volume of players hitting the open market.
Free agent targets
The Clippers will probably be one of the few teams around the league this summer that’ll be unable to open cap space, so they’ll rely on the $5.628MM mid-level and $2.203MM biannual exceptions to sign outside free agents. That will make for slim pickings, with such exceptions becoming progressively less valuable to free agents as the cap surges. So, the Clippers will likely seek players for specific roles, with small forward and a backup big man the most likely needs. Dewayne Dedmon, Jared Dudley, Maurice Harkless, J.J. Hickson, Jordan Hill, Solomon Hill, Joe Johnson, David Lee, Jon Leuer, Nene, Tayshaun Prince, Robert Sacre, Luis Scola, Jason Smith, Marreese Speights, Amar’e Stoudemire, Mirza Teletovic, Lance Thomas and Anderson Varejao are candidates to fall within the Clippers’ price range.
Potential trades
Rivers is reportedly determined to try to convince Kevin Durant to put on a Clippers uniform, a move that would require the team to trade one of Paul, Griffin or Jordan, but short of that long-shot scenario, Rivers’ commitment to his three stars makes it unlikely the team pulls off a significant trade. Redick and Pierce are the only other Clippers with guaranteed salaries of $2MM or more for next season, so the team lacks trade fodder.
Draft outlook
- First-round pick: 25th
- Second-round pick: 33rd
If the Clippers do make a trade, it’ll probably involve one or both of their picks. Rivers said it’s foolish to expect the team to come away with a player at No. 25 who could drastically upgrade the team next season, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times notes. Given the ability of Griffin and Paul to hit free agency in 2017, it’s reasonable to suspect the team might want to trade its tightly bunched selections for a veteran who could pay immediate dividends for a critical season ahead. Barring that, the Clippers seem likely to go with either NBA-ready seniors or draft-and-stash candidates who could prove steals far down the road but would stay off the team’s books in the near term.
Other decisions
Age seemed to finally catch up to Pablo Prigioni, who was the NBA’s oldest-ever rookie when he was 35. He turns 39 this month and is coming off his worst NBA season thus far, so it’s tough to see the Clippers re-signing him. Fellow soon-to-be free agent Jeff Ayres was an insurance policy who saw only two minutes of action in the playoffs even amid all the injuries, so he’s probably a goner, too. Branden Dawson played 29 games in the D-League and just six at the NBA level this season, and while the Clippers can’t afford to ignore player development, he’s no sure bet to stick on his non-guaranteed contract.
Final take
Rivers initially cast this past season as a make-or-break year for the team’s core, but he didn’t expect that the breaks would happen to his players’ bodies. The Clippers seem content to take a mulligan for 2015/16 and make only cursory changes for the season ahead, when it looks like this group will truly get its final chance to make it past the second round.
Guaranteed Salary
- Chris Paul ($22,868,827)
- DeAndre Jordan ($21,165,675)
- Blake Griffin ($20,140,839)
- J.J. Redick ($7,377,500)
- Paul Pierce ($3,527,920)
- C.J. Wilcox ($1,209,600)
- (Carlos Delfino $650,000) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- (Jordan Farmar $510,921) — Salary remaining from buyout via stretch provision
- (Miroslav Raduljica $252,043) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- Total: $77,703,325
Player Options
- Austin Rivers ($3,344,106)
- Wesley Johnson ($1,227,286)
- Cole Aldrich ($1,227,286)
- Total: $5,798,678
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Branden Dawson ($874,636)
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Jeff Green ($13,950,000)
- Jamal Crawford ($10,782,500)
- Austin Rivers ($4,044,035) — pending player option
- Cole Aldrich ($980,431) — pending player option
- Jeff Ayres ($980,431)
- Wesley Johnson ($980,431) — pending player option
- Luc Mbah a Moute ($980,431)
- Pablo Prigioni ($980,431)
- Total: $33,678,690
Other Cap Holds
- No. 25 pick ($1,061,600)
- Glen Davis ($980,431)
- Hedo Turkoglu ($980,431)
- Ekpe Udoh ($980,431)
- Total: $4,002,893
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
- Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers noted that the franchise wants to establish its own D-League affiliate in the near future, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com relays. “We’re going to discuss it, for sure,” Rivers said. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it by the start of the [2016/17] season, but it’s something we want to do. We’re a ways away from it, but we’ve had discussions with some outside forces that could make that happen, possibly.” Los Angeles was one of 11 NBA teams without its own D-League affiliate this season.
- Kentucky point guard Isaiah Briscoe worked out for the Spurs on Wednesday and has workouts scheduled with the Clippers this week and the Lakers after the scouting combine is complete, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets.
Teams across the NBA will have scads of cap room this summer, but the Clippers almost certainly won’t be among them. They’re poised to enter the offseason with three max contracts and more than $77.7MM on the books against a projected $92MM cap, not counting cap holds for free agents they’d like to re-sign. The only realistic path to cap space involves the free agent departures of Jeff Green and either Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers or both, and even then, the Clippers wouldn’t have nearly enough to compete for max-salary targets. Trades theoretically offer another way for the team to clear cap space, but coach/executive Doc Rivers doesn’t appear willing to trade his star trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. See how L.A.’s cap situation looks for 2016/17 as Hoops Rumors continues its offseason salary cap digest series.
Guaranteed Salary
- Chris Paul ($22,868,827)
- DeAndre Jordan ($21,165,675)
- Blake Griffin ($20,140,839)
- J.J. Redick ($7,377,500)
- Paul Pierce ($3,527,920)
- C.J. Wilcox ($1,209,600)
- (Carlos Delfino $650,000) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- (Jordan Farmar $510,921) — Salary remaining from buyout via stretch provision
- (Miroslav Raduljica $252,043) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- Total: $77,703,325
Player Options
- Austin Rivers ($3,344,106)
- Wesley Johnson ($1,227,286)
- Cole Aldrich ($1,227,286)
- Total: $5,798,678
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Branden Dawson ($874,636)
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Jeff Green ($13,950,000)
- Jamal Crawford ($10,782,500)
- Austin Rivers ($4,044,035) — pending player option
- Cole Aldrich ($980,431) — pending player option
- Jeff Ayres ($980,431)
- Wesley Johnson ($980,431) — pending player option
- Luc Mbah a Moute ($980,431)
- Pablo Prigioni ($980,431)
- Total: $33,678,690
Other Cap Holds
- No. 25 pick ($1,061,600)
- Glen Davis ($980,431)
- Hedo Turkoglu ($980,431)
- Ekpe Udoh ($980,431)
- Total: $4,002,893
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
- San Diego State sophomore small forward Malik Pope has a workout scheduled with the Clippers for this weekend, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Pope is the No. 25 overall sophomore according to Givony and the No. 46 player overall according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
- Austin Rivers has a strong draw to the Clippers as he approaches free agency this summer, since his dad is Doc Rivers, the coach and president of basketball operations, but he also feels a kinship with Jamal Crawford, as Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com details. Crawford is likewise heading into free agency but has said he’d like to re-sign with the Clippers. “He’s the best teammate I’ve ever had, man,” Austin Rivers said of Crawford. “A lot of people doubted me when I came to L.A. a year ago. People thought I was just getting a chance because of my father. Jamal believed in me, man.”
- The performance Austin Rivers put forth for the Clippers in Friday’s Game 6 despite a gruesome eye injury was a strong final impression that stands to increase his free agent value, contends Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
Doc Rivers hinted before the season that he would consider breaking up the team’s core if it fell short in the playoffs again, and trade speculation has surrounded Griffin for much of the year, but Rivers seems to maintain belief in what Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan can do, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The coach/executive said today that he doesn’t think the team’s window for title contention is closed, Markazi tweets.
“I like our team,” Rivers said after Friday’s season-ending loss to Portland. “Our bench was fantastic this year. The problem is we have a lot of free agents on our team and I think a lot of them are going to be attractive, and so we have to fight to keep our own first and then try to build from that point. We’re going to have a difficult time. It’s going to be tough.”
See more on the Clippers:
- Rivers can’t envision any player in the league picking up his player option for next season, given the sharp escalation of the salary cap that’s poised to create a player-friendly market this summer, notes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Rivers confirmed that means he expects Cole Aldrich, Wesley Johnson and son Austin Rivers to opt out from the Clippers this summer, and the coach/executive also believes Paul and Griffin will opt out in the summer of 2017, Bolch relays (Twitter links).
- Doc Rivers said today that he wants to re-sign as many of the team’s free soon-to-be free agents as possible this summer, according to Bolch (Twitter links). “They all want to come back, but they’ve all played well and so they’ve all made it more difficult,” Rivers said. Jeff Green, Jamal Crawford, Luc Mbah a Moute, Pablo Prigioni and Jeff Ayres are the Clippers on expiring contracts, and presumably the same sentiment applies to the trio with player options.
- Crawford said after Friday’s game that he’d like to re-sign with the Clippers, tweets Jen Beyrle of The Oregonian. The 36-year-old Crawford and J.J. Redick, who turns 32 next month, both said on Redick’s podcast for The Vertical that they’d like to play five more years, and Redick would like to sign a four-year deal when his existing contract expires in the summer of 2017, as Markazi relays via Twitter.
- Paul Pierce has one more year left in him, Rivers believes, according to Bolch (Twitter link). Pierce, 38, is signed through the 2017/18 season but is 50-50 on whether to retire this summer.
- The creation of a Clippers D-League affiliate will be a matter of discussion this summer, Rivers said, cautioning that it remains uncertain whether a team will be in place in time for next season, tweets Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com. The Clips are reportedly exploring the idea of starting a D-League team in Bakersfield, California.
The Kings have scheduled an interview for early this week with former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Blatt was one of the first names connected to the Sacramento coaching vacancy and has been a rumored candidate for several jobs since Cleveland fired him in January.
Blatt met with the Knicks this week to discuss the possibility of replacing interim coach Kurt Rambis and was believed to be a candidate for the Lakers’ job before they hired Luke Walton. During his brief stay in Cleveland, Blatt led the Cavaliers to the 2015 NBA Finals and compiled an 83-40 record.
Blatt will be at least the fifth candidate to interview for the head coaching position, according to James Ham of CSNBayArea. Ham reports that Sam Mitchell, Mike Woodson, Kevin McHale and Vinny Del Negro have all gone through formal interviews.
Indiana assistant Nate McMillan may soon join that group, Ham reports, depending what the Pacers do in tonight’s Game 7 with the Raptors. McMillan has a 266-269 career record in 12 years as head coach of the SuperSonics and Blazers.
The Kings are also planning to interview Charlotte assistant Patrick Ewing, whose team was eliminated from the playoffs today. Ham says Mark Jackson of ESPN and Grizzlies assistant Elston Turner are also on the list to be interviewed.
Once the interviews are complete, GM/executive Vlade Divac plans to whittle the list down to three finalists that he will present to Sacramento management. Despite earlier reports that the Kings wanted to find a coach this week, Ham says there is no timetable. The organization has been without a coach since it fired George Karl after the season ended.
The Clippers will enter the offseason earlier than expected after losing the final game in their series against the Blazers on Friday night. The team lost Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to injury during Game 4 of the series and Los Angeles was unable to win another game without two of its stars on the floor.
The arrival of the offseason carries questions for the Clippers. The front office has to figure out if Paul, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan can be the foundation of a championship team and they were hoping to get another postseason to gather more data. Instead, the franchise got three games of postseason play, two of which it won, to evaluate its core and that brings us to tonight’s question. Should the Clippers break up the Paul-Griffin-Jordan trio?
Let us know what you would do if you were sitting in Doc Rivers‘ chair. Which player(s) should be moved? Would you give this core another year and if so, what minor changes would you make? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say!