Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Crawford, Bass, Russell, Weems

August 9th, 2015 at 4:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers‘ Jamal Crawford would be open to playing for the Cavaliers, according to Chris Haynes Cleveland.com, whose podcast remarks are transcribed by Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk. Crawford may have become “superfluous” in L.A. with the acquisitions of Lance Stephenson and Pablo Prigioni, Feldman writes, and the Clippers may be willing to move him in exchange for cap relief. Dealing Crawford would save the team his $5.675MM salary and a projected luxury tax payment of more than $10.5MM. The Cavaliers could fit Crawford into the larger of the two trade exceptions they got in the Brendan Haywood deal, and their interest might rise if they are unable to re-sign free agent J.R. Smith.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Brandon Bass is looking forward to his opportunity with the Lakers, Terrance Harris of The Times-Picayune writes. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me to take Brandon Bass as a player and as a brand to the next level,” said Bass. “Los Angeles is such a big market and you have the Lakers that’s a big stage, especially if we can turn it around, make the playoffs and just change the culture back around like it was a few years ago.” Bass signed with L.A. as a free agent last month.
Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell isn’t worried about his high turnover rate during summer league play, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “It’s just a matter of settling down,” Russell said. “A lot of those turnovers are from risk-taking and it’s successful sometimes, but at this level it’s being able to settle down and be patient. It’s about slowing down as a team, being patient.” Russell, the second pick in this year’s draft, may join Kobe Bryant and Jordan Clarkson in a three-guard offense once the season starts.
Phoenix had been scouting Sonny Weems for two years before signing him this summer, writes Jake Fischer of SI.com. The only player not to receive an opt-out clause in his European contract during the 2011 lockout, Weems agreed to a two-year, $5.8MM deal with Phoenix. He’s hoping his long journey to the NBA finally pays off. “I belong, that’s all,” Weems said. “I’m a rotation guy or a starter, that’s my goal. Nothing else.”

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Speights, Morris, Clippers’ Depth

August 9th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by ChrisCrouse

Marreese Speights wants to reward the Warriors for picking up the team option on the final year of his contract, which is worth $3.815MM, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com writes. The Big Man has emphasized conditioning thus far in his offseason workouts and he hopes the hard work translates into a bigger role on the team.

“So coming into this year, I’m going to prepare differently so that I’ll come into camp in the best shape I’ve ever been. And hopefully that will give me a chance to get more consistent minutes,” the Florida product said.

Speights will have competition for back-up frontcourt minutes with new addition Jason Thompson coming into the fold and Festus Ezeli primed to take on a bigger role.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division.

Markieff Morris‘ situation has created uncertainty for the Suns, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders writes. Morris reportedly wants out of Phoenix and trading the forward probably makes sense for both parties. Blancarte argues that because of his team-friendly contract, which has three years and $24MM remaining on it, Morris could be a valuable oncourt addition to another franchise. However, the Suns are likely to receive a less than stellar return for the 25-year-old, similar to what the Nuggets netted for Ty Lawson, because of his offcourt issues.
New additions Lance Stephenson, Wesley Johnson, Paul Pierce and Josh Smith bring some much needed versatility to the Clippers, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com writes. Smith’s ability to play the center position, which he did 12% of the time last season for the Rockets, should give Los Angeles the ammunition to matchup against top small-ball lineups, such as the Warriors’ lineup with Draymond Green at center.

Pacific Notes: Clarkson, Sterling, Thompson

August 6th, 2015 at 11:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Jordan Clarkson credits his D-League assignments during the first part of this past season for helping him emerge as a breakout performer at the NBA level as the season wore on, he tells Brian Kotloff of NBADLeague.com. The Lakers guaranteed the point guard’s minimum salary for the coming season when they kept him on the roster through this past Saturday.

“I’m focused on always working on my game,” Clarkson said to Kotloff. “Early in the year, I wasn’t getting much time with the Lakers. Sometimes I would ask Coach [Byron Scott] to just go let me play. I love to hoop and you can never get better just by sitting on the bench. Going to play in those [D-Fenders] games definitely helped me to work on stuff that I could transfer over when I got time in the [NBA]. The game is a little different between the levels, but it helped slow the game down for me and it sped up my process of becoming a good player in [the NBA].”

The Lakers have a geographic edge with their D-League affiliate, since the D-Fenders play their home games in the same facility where the Lakers practice. See more from around the Pacific Division:

Former Clippers owner Donald Sterling has filed for divorce from his wife, Shelly, and he’s also filed a petition for an accounting and distribution of the proceeds of the $2 billion new owner Steve Ballmer paid to purchase the team last year, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. Half of that money is frozen in escrow pending Donald Sterling’s $1 billion lawsuit against the NBA, Woike notes. Shelly Sterling controls the family trust into which the other half of Ballmer’s payment went, so Donald Sterling, who’s estranged from his wife, hasn’t seen any money from the sale yet, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links). Shelly Sterling said she’s paid $600MM in taxes and fees on the sale proceeds so far, Shelburne adds.
Jason Thompson is a better fit with Warriors tempo, a proficient rebounder, and an upgrade defensively over David Lee, whose role he inherits, as SB Nation’s Tom Ziller argues in a look at Golden State’s trade with the Sixers. Thompson’s presence is particularly valuable for the Warriors given his success guarding LaMarcus Aldridge and, to a lesser degree, Blake Griffin, as Ziller examines.

Pacific Notes: Prigioni, Dukan, Lieberman

August 4th, 2015 at 10:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pablo Prigioni, who inked a one year deal with the Clippers this offseason, said that Los Angeles was his preferred destination all along, writes Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. “I didn’t even consider to choose another team or to go back to Europe,” Prigioni said. “’I said, I want to go there [to Los Angeles].’ This is a perfect team. This is a team that has a group of guys that are playing together the last four or five years. Now, same coach, add a couple of new guys. This is a perfect team to go to and try to give my best and help with whatever they need to do.”

Here’s more from the NBA’s Pacific Division:

Grantland’s Zach Lowe figures the range of salaries on a would-be extension for the Warriors‘ Harrison Barnes would fall between those on DeMarre Carroll‘s four-year, $58MM deal with the Raptors and the 2016/17 maximum salary for players with Barnes’ years of experience, projected to come in at $20.4MM.
Duje Dukan‘s deal with the Kings will see him earn $525,093, which is fully guaranteed, for the 2015/16 campaign, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The forward is scheduled to make $874,636 in the second year of the pact, $200k of which becomes guaranteed on August 1st, 2016, Pincus adds.
New Kings assistant coach Nancy Lieberman, in a Q&A with David Aldridge of NBA.com, said one of her biggest challenges will be in knowing when to chime in with her opinions, since all of her previous experience was as a head coach. “Summer League was really important for me. Summer League helped validate that I’m not a pushy broad,” Lieberman said. “I have been a head coach my whole life. I’ve never been an assistant, to be honest. I’m the one that has to do some of the growing here. I have got to learn when to speak, when my voice is required, and quite frankly, when to just shut the heck up. So that part is new for me. That will be new for me. But George [Karl] is a pretty easy guy to be around.”
The Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate, have hired Casey Owens as head coach, Pincus reports (via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Clippers Ink Pablo Prigioni

August 4th, 2015 at 3:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

AUGUST 4TH, 3:17pm: The signing is official, the Clippers announced.

5:41pm: The deal is a one-year, minimum salary arrangement, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times reports (via Twitter).

JULY 22ND, 5:29pm: The Clippers and unrestricted free agent Pablo Prigioni have reached an agreement on a contract, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the deal are not yet known. The veteran fills the team’s need for a solid backup to starter Chris Paul.

The 38-year-old had been sent to Denver as part of the Ty Lawson deal, and he was waived shortly after so the Nuggets could avoid paying Prigioni’s 2015/16 salary of $1,734,572, which was set to become fully guaranteed if he remained on the roster past Monday. Denver is on the hook for $440K, the amount of Prigioni’s partial guarantee.

In three NBA seasons Prigioni has averaged 3.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists to go with a slash line of .437/.398/.872.

Western Notes: Jazz, Kanter, Davis, Donovan

August 2nd, 2015 at 3:03pm CST by Zachary Links

The National Basketball Players Association plans to file the action next week after the Kings voided Luc Mbah a Moute‘s contract over a failed physical. Meanwhile, we learned earlier today that the Kings are standing by their medical findings, which indicated a problem with the forward’s right shoulder. While we wait to see how that plays out, here’s more from the West..

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looked back at the Jazz‘s decision to move Enes Kanter. Kanter received a max deal from the Thunder, and while he was worth those big bucks to OKC, the Jazz simply didn’t value him the same way. It would seem that many teams shared Utah’s opinion as Kanter sat on the restricted free-agent market for most of the free agency period without receiving an offer sheet, before the desperate Blazers offered up the max. Meanwhile, Moore says that there are compelling reasons to think Kanter’s attitude and defensive limitations will make the deal look like a bad idea for OKC.
Big man Glen Davis is still talking to the Clippers but he’s open to playing overseas if he doesn’t sign a contract in the NBA, a source told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. On Friday it was reported that there was “optimism” on both sides that a pact could be reached. The eight-year veteran averaged career lows in points and minutes per game in 2014/15. Still, the John Hamilton client was one of only eight players to average more than 10 minutes per game in the playoffs for the Clippers this spring.
The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater profiled the path of Billy Donovan, who was appointed as the new coach of the Thunder in April. Donovan was hired as the coach of the Magic for a cup of coffee years ago before bailing on the agreement and returning to Florida. Now, Donovan says that he’s ready for the challenges of the NBA.

Clippers Waive Jordan Hamilton

August 1st, 2015 at 11:01am CST by Dana Gauruder

11:01pm: The team has indeed placed Hamilton on waivers, according to fellow Times scribe Eric Pincus (Twitter link).

5:23pm: The Clippers are in process of waiving Jordan Hamilton, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times tweets. There are no other accompanying moves, Bolch adds.

The 6’7” shooting guard appeared in 14 games last season, averaging 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 8.7 minutes per game. The 24-year-old played his first two-plus seasons with the Nuggets, then was dealt to the Rockets for Aaron Brooks midway through the 2013/14 season. Hamilton was taken in the first round of the 2011 draft by the Mavericks, who shipped him that night to Denver.

He signed two 10-day contracts with the Clippers last season and then was signed for the remainder of the season in March. He did not appear in any postseason games with the Clippers. He had a non-guaranteed salary of just over $1MM for the upcoming season.

And-Ones: Faried, Deng, DeRozan

July 31st, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The growing sense around the Nuggets is that the team wants to see if Michael Malone can mentor Kenneth Faried the way he reached DeMarcus Cousins with the Kings, and it seems highly unlikely that Denver will trade the power forward before the start of the season, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Heat want to hold on to Luol Deng and see how well the team can play, sources close to the organization tell Kyler, but if Miami underwhelms, Kyler believes Miami would put Deng on the block.
The Raptors are not entertaining trades for DeMar DeRozan, sources close to the team informed Kyler.
The additions that the Clippers made this offseason to bolster their bench have made them the NBA’s most improved team heading into the 2015/16 campaign, opines Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required). Doolittle also calls out the Hornets and Mavericks as teams that have made positive strides this Summer, while listing the Nets, Sixers, and Suns as franchises that have taken a step back this offseason.
With the NBA’s salary cap expected to increase dramatically next Summer there are a number of pending free agents who stand to benefit from the windfall, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. Some under-the-radar players who can expect significant pay increases on their next contracts include Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Hornets), Harrison Barnes (Warriors), Langston Galloway (Knicks), and Jordan Clarkson (Lakers), Pelton opines.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Latest On Glen Davis

July 31st, 2015 at 10:35am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 31ST: 10:35am: Davis and the Clippers spoke this week, and there’s optimism a deal will get done between them, a source tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The Bucks have signed Copeland since the initial report of interest in Davis from Milwaukee (below), so it’s unclear if the Bucks are still in the mix for Big Baby.

JULY 22ND: 2:44pm: The Clippers maintain “high interest” in re-signing Glen Davis, but no deal is close, and the Bucks loom as another interested team, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The Clips reportedly expected to re-sign Big Baby as of two weeks ago, but there hasn’t been much chatter surrounding the John Hamilton client since.

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers reached out to Davis on the opening day of free agency, and they share a lengthy history dating back to their time with the Celtics. The Bucks appeared close to a deal with Chris Copeland on Tuesday, but the Spurs and Thunder are still competing for the former Pacers forward, so perhaps Milwaukee sees Davis as an alternative.

Davis has Early Bird rights with the Clippers to sign for up to $5.739MM, giving the Clips a financial edge over the Bucks, who are limited to the $2.814MM room exception. Still, Davis made the minimum salary last year, so it would be surprising to see him end up with a significant raise, even though he was one of only eight players to average more than 10 minutes per game in the playoffs for the Clippers this past season.

Which team do you think is the best fit for Davis? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Northwest Notes: Durant, Thunder, Blazers

July 29th, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Blazers acquired Mike Miller from the Cavs earlier this week but he’s probably not sticking around for long. The veteran is a “strong candidate” to negotiate a buyout with Portland, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears, and the Grizzlies, Thunder, and Mavs already appear to be interested. While we wait for more on that, here’s more from the Northwest Division..

The Thunder remain the front-runners for Kevin Durant‘s 2016 free agency, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News sizes up the chances that the Wizards, Warriors, Rockets, Heat, Clippers, Mavericks, Celtics, Knicks and Lakers all of have of convincing the former MVP to leave OKC.
The Thunder viewed Kevin Seraphin as a possible fall-back option if they did not re-sign Enes Kanter, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. At this point, a one-year deal is more likely for Seraphin than a long-term pact, Castillo writes. OKC, of course, has retained Kanter. The Knicks, Lakers, and Wizards are showing interest in Seraphin at this time.
The SI.com staff debated which team took the biggest step back this summer and multiple writers cast their ballots for the Trail Blazers. The Blazers, of course, have watched Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez wind up elsewhere this summer. Damian Lillard has been surrounded with some promising young talent, but they seem likely to take a big step back in 2015/16.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.