Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Durant, Green, Rivers

February 21st, 2016 at 11:32am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers may not be a real contender to sign Kevin Durant should he decide to leave Oklahoma City in free agency due to the lack of talent on their roster, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports in a session on Fox Sports Radio (h/t to Adrian Hasenmayer of Fox Sports). Wojnarowski adds that the Warriors have Durant’s attention and they remain a threat to steal him away from the Thunder, supplementing an earlier report that the Warriors would be “significant” front-runners to sign Durant should he leave the team.

Big-name free agents, including Durant, don’t care about whether a team has high-value assets such as top draft picks or young prospects because those are not going to help a team win a championship right away. If Durant is going to leave Oklahoma City, it’s going to be for a place that can win a championship and part of his criteria will be whether the destination is good enough to beat top teams, like the Warriors, with him on it, sources tell Wojnarowski.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Executive/coach Doc Rivers believes the addition of Jeff Green gives the Clippers a fighting chance against the top teams in the Western Conference, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. “When you look at the teams we have to beat, we need to get longer, more athletic, and we need to increase our shooting,” Rivers said. “And I think with Jeff we did all three of those things.
The Clippers could get Austin Rivers, who has been sidelined with a broken left hand, back on the court in less than two weeks, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register tweets.
With Markieff Morris out of the picture, the Suns can finally start to build for the future, Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic argues. Bickley believes the Suns should acquire players who resonate with the community, similar to how other professional franchises in Phoenix have done.

Western Notes: Lee, Davis, Stepheson, Nuggets

February 20th, 2016 at 10:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks will need more than just David Lee to start moving in the right direction, contends Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Dallas is considered a heavy favorite to sign Lee once he clears waivers at 3 pm Central Time on Sunday, and Sefko says the Mavericks are believed to have a deal ready to present to him. Lee, who was waived Friday by the Celtics after falling out of their rotation, hasn’t played since January 10th. Sefko warns that Lee has lost some of the skills that made him a two-time All-Star and says other players will have to step up their games to keep the Mavericks from falling out of the playoff picture.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

Jeremy Evans and Justin Anderson have been sent to the Mavericks‘ D-League affiliate, the team announced today. Evans has played in 29 games for Dallas, averaging 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds, while Anderson has been in 34 games, averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry laughed at a report that the organization had trade talks with the Celtics about Anthony Davis, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune. New Orleans gave Davis an extension last summer that will amount to the richest contract in league history, five years at $145MM.
Alex Stepheson, who signed a 10-day contract with the Clippers earlier today, can’t wait to play in his first NBA game, according to Robert Morales of The Long Beach Press-Telegram. The 28-year-old was the D-League’s leading rebounder with the Iowa Energy, the affiliate of the Grizzlies. “I’m excited,” Stepheson said. “I’m a little bit nervous. I think basketball-wise, I kind of know what I can do and can’t do, so I don’t think I’m going to be too nervous on the basketball court. Just being out there playing for the Clippers and stuff like that, man, it’s pretty big.”
The Nuggets created a tiny trade exception worth $135K from Thursday’s trade, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s of such diminutive value that it’s virtually unusable, but nonetheless, it comes via the difference between Randy Foye‘s $3.135MM salary and D.J. Augustin‘s $3MM pay. Denver took Steve Novak‘s $3,750,001 salary into its disabled player exception for Wilson Chandler, as I noted here and as Pincus confirms (on Twitter). The disabled player exception is thus extinguished, Pincus adds.

Clippers Sign Alex Stepheson To 10-Day Deal

February 20th, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 3:25pm: The signing is official, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

THURSDAY, 3:49pm: The Clippers plan to sign Alex Stepheson to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Stepheson, the D-League’s leading rebounder, was with the Grizzlies in training camp this past fall but didn’t make the opening night roster.

Stepheson has appeared in 31 contests this season for the Iowa Energy, Memphis’ D-League affiliate, notching averages of 15.9 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 34.2 minutes per night. His shooting line is .579/.000/.486.

The 28-year old will help provide frontcourt depth with Blake Griffin out indefinitely, though it remains unclear how much he will be needed after Los Angeles reportedly added Jeff Green via trade earlier today.

Western Notes: Green, Cole, Collison, Suns

February 20th, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Grizzlies offered Jeff Green to the Clippers earlier in the week and after Los Angeles turned them down, they expected to keep the combo forward on the roster, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reports (Twitter link). The Clippers then contacted the team right before the deadline to rekindle talks and the sides were able to come to an agreement, Tillery adds.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Norris Cole and Darren Collison were among the point guards available for trades before Thursday’s deadline, a league source told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Ellis heard the same about D.J. Augustin, whom the Thunder traded to the Nuggets.
The Suns will not bring back Orlando Johnson, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes. Johnson’s 10-day contract with Phoenix expired earlier this week and the team signed Phil Pressey to a 10-day deal earlier today.
P.J. Tucker drew interest from other teams at the deadline, but Suns GM Ryan McDonough believes that it was the right move to keep the veteran, Coro writes in a separate piece. “He’s one guy we look at as an example for how hard you should play every night and the kind of toughness and edge you should bring to the game,” McDonough said. With Markieff Morris leaving town, Tucker is now the Suns’ longest-tenured player.

Eastern Notes: Morris, Frye, Varejao

February 20th, 2016 at 1:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said he had no clue that Markieff Morris‘ situation in Phoenix would take the turn that it did when he acquired his twin Marcus Morris this past offseason, writes Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “I didn’t have any idea,” Van Gundy said. “We just knew that we liked Marcus. He was a good player, a professional guy, hard worker. We never had any problems from our end with it. I mean, Marcus was upset when it happened, upset at Phoenix, but it never had any effect on what we were doing in Detroit. He was a real professional.”

Markieff intends to approach his new situation with the Wizards the same way, Standing adds. He already has the support of Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley, both of whom relayed positive things about Morris, the scribe notes. “You know, it’s just guys that actually know me, and not on the outside looking in,” Morris said. “Guys that I’ve actually played with and been in the locker room with. Things happen. It’s in my past. All I can do is move forward and learn from it. I’m happy to do it. And getting compliments from those guys means a lot. We’re good friends, we keep in touch. They know me as a person.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Cavaliers were able to land Channing Frye on Thursday despite having less in the way of assets to offer Orlando than the Clippers, who were also interested in the stretch-four, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal notes. Los Angeles backed away from Frye because of the two years and approximately $15MM remaining on his deal, a contract that Cleveland instead views as an asset with the cap set to jump this offseason, Lloyd adds.
The Hawks would be wise to consider signing center Anderson Varejao, whom Portland waived after acquiring him from the Cavaliers, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders opines. Atlanta needs a backup center with Tiago Splitter lost for the remainder of the season, and inking Varejao would carry little risk and wouldn’t impact the franchise’s cap flexibility heading into the offseason, Greene notes.
Despite a somewhat slow start to his NBA career, Hornets coach Steve Clifford believes Frank Kaminsky will become a solid starter in the league thanks to how hard he works off the court, Gary D’Amato of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. “He has an NBA game right now,” said Clifford. “His biggest issue is he’s physically not strong enough to play every night against the starters. He’s worked hard in the weight room. I think in another year you’ll see him take off because of his work ethic.” The 2015 No. 9 overall pick has appeared in 53 games this season and is averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per night.

Western Notes: Morris, Ayres, Stephenson

February 19th, 2016 at 8:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Suns GM Ryan McDonough believes the trade that sent Markieff Morris to the Wizards will allow both sides to have a new start, Bob Baum of The Associated Press relays. “I think Markieff will play well in Washington but I think for all parties involved it was time for a fresh start,” McDonough said. “I think this trade hopefully will bring a breath of fresh air into our organization.” The executive also noted that he was extremely pleased with the protected first rounder Phoenix acquired from Washington in the swap, Baum adds. “We feel good about it,” McDonough continued. “Anytime you’re able to acquire a draft pick that has a chance to be late lottery or mid-first round for a player that probably wasn’t fitting in as well as he could have, we view that as a positive outcome for the franchise.”

Here’s more from out West:

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace is intrigued with deadline acquisition Lance Stephenson and believes the swingman is still growing as a player, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal relays. “Lance is a guy who got a significant free agent contract from Charlotte based on how well he played in Indiana two years ago,” Wallace said. “He is a very tough, versatile player who can handle the ball and guard multiple positions. He’s got every reason to be very motivated and help us. He was one of the best shooters coming into the [2010] draft. He’s a young guy who the book hasn’t been written on.”
The Clippers acquired Jeff Green with the intention of using his Bird rights to re-sign him in the offseason, and Green, while saying that he’s still adjusting in the immediate wake of Thursday’s trade, can envision a long-term fit in L.A., observes Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter links).
The Rockets have assigned rookie combo forward Sam Dekker to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Dekker’s second trek to Rio Grande Valley, though he was injured during his first stint with the Vipers and he did not see any game action as a result.
The Thunder have assigned Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be the center’s sixth stint with the Blue on the season.
Center Jeff Ayres, whose second 10-day deal with the Clippers expired last week, has rejoined the the Idaho Stampede, the Jazz’s D-League affiliate, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Multiple Teams Interested In Anderson Varejao

February 19th, 2016 at 7:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:45pm: The Spurs and Mavericks are also among the teams interested in Varejao, Stein writes in a full-length story. Dallas is reportedly the frontrunner to sign David Lee once he clears waivers, so it is possible that the Mavs consider Varejao a secondary option, though that is merely my speculation.

6:51pm: The Warriors are among the teams that have expressed interest in signing Varejao once he clears waivers, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.

12:18pm: The Thunder have swiftly jumped into the market for Anderson Varejao, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said in an appearance with Tony Cartagena on ESPN Cleveland Radio today (audio link; scroll to seven-minute mark). Windhorst also links the Clippers and the Bulls to Varejao, though that appears to be speculative. The Trail Blazers waived Varejao on Thursday after acquiring him via trade from the Cavaliers, who can’t re-sign him for 12 months.

Oklahoma City shed $3.615MM in salary and roughly another $6MM in projected luxury tax penalties thanks to Thursday’s trade to acquire Randy Foye. The Thunder are still well over the tax threshold, but the cost of a prorated minimum-salary contract for Varejao would pale in comparison to what the team would have spent if it hadn’t pulled off the trade with the Nuggets that sent out D.J. Augustin and Steve Novak. Oklahoma City sent an undisclosed amount of cash to Denver in the swap, but it couldn’t have been more than $1.9MM.

The deal also opened a roster spot for the Thunder, so they wouldn’t have to make a corresponding move to add Varejao. The 33-year-old big man must first clear waivers before signing with any team, though that’s likely a formality, given the nearly $10MM in guaranteed salary his contract would entail for next season.

The Thunder have a prorated portion of their $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception that they could use to outbid other suitors, though doing so would cut into the money the team saved in the trade.

Grizzlies, Clippers Swap Stephenson, Jeff Green

February 18th, 2016 at 11:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports Images

8:48pm: The Clippers traded Lance Stephenson and their lottery-protected 2019 first-round pick to the Grizzlies for Jeff Green, the teams announced. The pick is also lottery-protected for 2020 if it doesn’t convey in 2019, and if it doesn’t change hands in 2020, it would become a 2022 second-rounder, as the Clippers confirmed on their website.

Stephenson, 25, has largely disappointed this season and is averaging only 4.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 rebounds per game, the second straight season of declines for a once-promising up-and-comer. Memphis is his third team since he left the Pacers to sign with the Hornets in the summer of 2014, though Grizzlies players reportedly told management they want him to stay.

The Clippers appeared to quickly turn away from Stephenson after acquiring him from Charlotte this past summer, though coach/executive Doc Rivers vehemently denied a report that the team gauged interest in him as early as November. Stephenson was reportedly part of a proposal involving Channing Frye that the Clippers ultimately backed away from. The mercurial guard is making $9MM this year with a team option for $9.405MM next season.

In acquiring Green, who is on an expiring contract, the Clippers have a decent placeholder until Blake Griffin returns from his broken hand. Green has a $9.45MM salary for this season, so Memphis gets to create a tiny $450K trade exception for the difference between his salary and Stephenson’s. Conversely, the Clippers add an extra $787,500 to their projected tax bill.

Green was averaging 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds, and that scoring average is the second-lowest of his career. The former fifth overall pick didn’t become the solution on the wing that the Grizzlies surely hoped he’d be when they traded with Boston to acquire him last year. The latest deal involving Green reunites him with Rivers, his former Celtics coach.

This would seem like a balanced exchange if not for the pick headed to the Grizzlies. However, the Clippers are obliged to send another lottery protected first-round pick to the Raptors because of a previous trade, and the earliest the Grizzlies can see the pick the Clippers owe them is two years after the Clips convey the pick they owe the Raptors, as Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal explains. Toronto could get its Clippers pick as late as 2019, a scenario that would mean the Grizzlies only get a second-rounder.

Will Joseph contributed to this post. Dan Woike of The Orange County Register broke the news that Stephenson had been traded to the Grizzlies, while Zach Lowe of ESPN.com had Green going to the Clippers. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported the involvement of the first-round pick, while USA Today’s Sam Amick reported it was lottery protected (Twitter link) and TNT’s David Aldridge pegged it as a 2019 first-rounder (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Griffin, Wilcox, Frye

February 18th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Clippers power forward Blake Griffin will face extra scrutiny for his role in an off the court incident involving a member of the team’s training staff when he returns from injury and his four-game suspension, Michael Lee of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports writes. Griffin has come under fire before for his physical style of play and there is a strong chance that other players will attempt to test Griffin’s response to aggressive play against him, Lee adds, though coach/executive Doc Rivers doesn’t think it will be an issue for his player. “Listen, he’s tested every night,” Rivers told Lee. “Blake gets hit, chipped more than any player in the league. He’s already been tested.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Clippers turned down four deals that involved shooting guard C.J. Wilcox, Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports relays (via Twitter). The 25-year-old has only appeared in eight contests this season, averaging 0.8 points in 2.9 of action per game.
Despite their wealth of talent, the Warriors did not receive one trade inquiry prior to today’s deadline, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times tweets.
The Clippers passed on the chance to acquire Channing Frye from the Magic because the team preferred Jeff Green, whom it landed from Memphis in exchange for Lance Stephenson, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak doesn’t want to discuss the future of Byron Scott and indicated that the coach’s status with the organization hasn’t changed, Jovan Buva of ESPN.com notes. “Byron is under contract, and until that changes, or if that changes, I’ll let you know,” Kupchak said. “Once again, I don’t want to get into a Byron discussion right now,” Kupchak continued. “So I’m not going to really answer any more questions about Byron, because I’m concerned that one question will lead to another, and if his status changes, I will let you know.“

Clippers, Magic Discuss Channing Frye Trade

February 18th, 2016 at 11:34am CST by Eddie Scarito

11:34pm: The Clippers have yet to commit to any deal on this front, as Wojnarowski hears, and they’re expected to stand pat and sign a D-League big man instead, according to Vertical colleague Marc J. Spears (Twitter links). That gives the Cavs a strong chance to swoop in and nab Frye, Wojnarowski says.

WEDNESDAY, 8:15am: The Magic would move Stephenson elsewhere if they acquire him, sources tell TNT’s David Aldridge. That suggests the team would trade him rather than waive him.

7:37pm: The Clippers are discussing a bigger deal involving Stephenson’s contract, which has placed talks with Orlando temporarily on hold, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter links). Stephenson would be waived if acquired by the Magic, the scribe notes.

7:21pm: The Clippers would send Lance Stephenson, C.J. Wilcox and possibly a second-rounder to Orlando in return, Wojnarowski relays (Twitter links). Los Angeles is also engaged in talks with another team regarding Stephenson, which puts any trade with Orlando on hold temporarily, the Vertical scribe adds. There are also a number of teams interested in Frye, including the Cavaliers, Wojnarowski also notes (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 7:16pm: The Clippers and Magic are closing in on agreement that would send power forward Channing Frye to Los Angeles, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). It is unclear who or what would be heading to Orlando in return for the veteran stretch-four.

The Magic have been trying to trade Frye, according to an earlier report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who suggested the effort to find a taker for the 32-year-old would accelerate now that the team has traded Tobias Harris, Frye’s cousin, to the Pistons for Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings. Frye is making more than $8.193MM this season, with about $7.8MM coming next season and $7.4MM in 2017/18, the final year of his deal.

The 32-year-old has disappointed since Orlando signed him to a four year deal during the summer of 2014. He has appeared in 44 games this season, including 29 as a starter, and is averaging just 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per night. His career averages are 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist, and Frye owns a career slash line of .438/.387/.820.