Clippers Likely To Guarantee Mbah A Moute’s Deal
It’s “probably safe” to assume that the Clippers will keep Luc Mbah a Moute for the rest of the season, coach/executive Doc Rivers said today to reporters, including Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The veteran small forward’s one-year, minimum-salary contract is non-guaranteed, but it would become fully guaranteed if the Clippers don’t waive him by the end of January 7th.
Rivers’ statement is no surprise, but it nonetheless serves as confirmation of the team’s plans regarding the 29-year-old who beat out Chuck Hayes during a preseason battle for a regular season roster spot. The Clippers already have 14 players with fully guaranteed deals, so keeping Mbah a Moute would limit the team’s flexibility for the second half of the season, barring a trade. Retaining him would also mean that $947,276, which is the portion of Mbah a Moute’s salary the Clippers are responsible for, would stick on the team’s tax bill. The team’s payroll is nearly $12MM into tax territory, including Mbah a Moute.
The former UCLA standout has started the last eight games for the Clippers. That’s a prospect that seemed highly unlikely at the start of the season, and even more so over the summer, when the Kings voided their contract with him over concerns about his health. He’s poised for free agency again in the summer.
Do you think the Clippers should keep Mbah a Moute as the starter, or should they make a move to acquire another small forward? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 12/11/15
A report made yesterday by Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops relayed that the Clippers are gauging the interest that other teams have in trading for Jamal Crawford once again. Crawford had been the frequent subject of trade rumors in the offseason, when reports indicated the team explored trading him around draft time and that the Knicks, Heat and Cavs had interest. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports suggested this week that the Clippers remained open to dealing the 35-year-old shooting guard amid a report that the team recently gauged interest in Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith.
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers denied on multiple occasions in the past few days that he’s spoken to anyone about Stephenson and Smith, and he said in September that he’d be “very surprised” if Crawford doesn’t remain with the team through the rest of the season. Any trade talk the Clippers are engaging in at this point is exploratory, a source told Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Crawford is in the final year of his contract, which pays him $5.675MM. It’s unclear if Miami, Cleveland or New York maintains interest in the veteran.
So here’s the topic for today: Should the Clippers look to trade Jamal Crawford, or is he too valuable a commodity to part with?
Do you believe L.A. would be better served to deal Crawford and try to extract some value from his expiring deal? If so, what sort of return can the team realistically expect? If not, why do you believe Crawford should remain a Clipper? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
Clippers Interested In Shabazz Muhammad
The Clippers are among the teams fond of Shabazz Muhammad, though the Timberwolves remain entrenched against moving him, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Wolfson also identified the Lakers and Nets as teams fond of the swingman despite the lack of playing time he’s seen thus far in his NBA career. Muhammad has averaged 8.6 points in 15.9 minutes per game since becoming the last pick of the 2013 lottery.
Muhammad, 23, would give the aging Clippers a much-needed injection of youthful talent if they were somehow able to convince the Timberwolves to budge. C.J. Wilcox is the only Clippers player on a rookie scale contract. Muhammad is in year three of his rookie scale deal and eligible for an extension in the offseason.
Trade rumors have swirled around the Clippers of late, with the team reportedly having gauged interest in Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith last month and recently having done the same with Jamal Crawford, who was also a subject of chatter over the summer. Still, Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers denied that he’s had any talks about Stephenson and Smith, and after the offseason stories surrounding Crawford, Rivers said in September that he intended to hold on to the veteran swingman through the season.
And-Ones: Sixers, Stephenson, Anderson
No one in the NBA expects Sixers GM Sam Hinkie will have the ability to overrule chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo on the team’s personnel decisions going forward, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. It was around the time of Jahlil Okafor‘s autumn off–court incidents that Sixers owner Josh Harris and commissioner Adam Silver first spoke about what one source described to Berger as a “course correction” for the team. Harris asked Silver for advice, and the commissioner gave him a list of people, with Colangelo’s name on top, to consider for the new front office role the owner was considering, Berger explains. Silver reached out to Colangelo to measure his interest in joining the Sixers, introduced him to Harris, and let them work it out from there, league sources said to Berger. We passed along more earlier today on the Colangelo hiring, and we’ll share news from around the league here:
- Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers denies that he’s reached out to any teams about trading Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith, but Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher (video link) hears the Clippers are anxious to move the two. Stephenson and Smith are frustrated with their roles, Bucher adds. “That’s silly talk. Nothing. No truth,” Rivers said, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, in response to an initial report that the Clippers had gauged the interest that other teams have in trading for them.
- Virtually no trade market exists for Stephenson, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece, and the Clippers would have to attach another player to him in any viable trade proposal, one league source said to Kyler. A feeling exists that the Clippers would be willing to take on a sizable contract via trade, so Stephenson’s $9MM salary could come in handy for matching purposes, but for now, the Clippers’ trade talks are exploratory in nature, Kyler hears.
- The Pelicans‘ first preference would be to keep Ryan Anderson instead of trading him, but the power forward’s upcoming free agency may force their hand, Kyler adds in the same piece. New Orleans would think about trading Anderson for Markieff Morris, especially if Anderson signals he won’t re-sign with the Pelicans when his contract expires this summer, as Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported this week.
Pacific Notes: Mbah a Moute, Scott, Warriors
It appears a mere formality that the Clippers will retain Luc Mbah a Moute past the date next month when his non-guaranteed contract would become fully guaranteed, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. He made his sixth straight start in Wednesday’s victory over the Bucks, and while Doc Rivers indicated that he’ll probably move him in and out of the starting lineup, the Clippers coach/executive is nonetheless impressed, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. He’s not the only one.
“He does all the different things that don’t show up on the stat sheet,” Chris Paul said, according to Bolch. “He makes the cuts, he does the box outs, and that’s why he’s so valuable for us.”
Still, not everyone is a fan. The Clippers won’t win the title if Mbah a Moute remains the starting three man, posits Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, who calls on the team to bench the “safe, known commodity” of Mbah a Moute in favor of the higher risk-reward proposition of either Lance Stephenson or Wesley Johnson. See more from the Pacific Division:
- The voiding of the contract Mbah a Moute signed with the Kings in July led to uncertainty about his future that didn’t end until he signed with the Clippers in late September, and he called the past summer a difficult one, according to Gardner. “I like to usually go into the summer knowing where I’m going to be, training at the facility. All that stuff was out the window,” Mbah a Moute said. “God works in mysterious ways. I’m here now and trying to make the best out of it, trying to help the team.”
- Lakers executives Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss still support Byron Scott and plan to keep him through at least the end of the season, though Kupchak, Buss or both will likely meet with Scott next week to get a read on his plan for player development, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. The execs understand the difficulty of the position Scott finds himself in — a “no-win situation,” as a team source described it to Medina — as Kobe Bryant‘s farewell season chafes against the need to foster young talent.
- A group opposing the Warriors‘ plan for a new arena will file suit to block construction in the wake of the project having cleared its final political hurdle Tuesday, when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to green-light the new building, reports J.K. Dineen of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Paul Pierce Mulling Retirement After Season
Retirement at season’s end continues to be a consideration for Paul Pierce, who said Wednesday that he’d make his decision about whether to play next season in the summer ahead, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. Pierce thought about quitting at the end of last season and said in September that he’d likely retire if the Clippers win the championship, but his latest comments indicate that a decent chance exists that the 38-year-old will walk away even if he doesn’t add to his ring collection in June. He said the thought of retirement has come into his mind as he’s endured a slump this season, one that has him averaging a career-worst 4.1 points per game, as Bolch relays.
“The older you get and the less and less you’re able to do things that you could do before,” Pierce said, “you start thinking about maybe it’s that time.”
Pierce is under contract with the Clippers through 2017/18, with a fully guaranteed salary of nearly $3.528MM for next season and a partial guarantee worth about $1.096MM for the final season of his deal. The Clippers don’t have to let him out of the obligations of his playing contract, so if they press the issue, Pierce could file official retirement papers with the league, a move that would force him to give up his remaining salary, thus taking the money off the team’s books. Official retirement would bar Pierce from making a comeback at any point for one year, unless he receives unanimous approval from all 30 teams, according to Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ.
It seems unlikely that the issue would become contentious, given the close relationship between Pierce and Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who doubles as the team’s president of basketball operations. It wouldn’t have a drastic effect on the team’s cap flexibility if Pierce were to give up his salary for next season, but with more than $77.7MM worth of 2016/17 salary guaranteed to just six players, including Pierce, the Clippers can use all the financial relief they can get, even with the salary cap projected to hit $89MM.
Regardless, Pierce isn’t ready to make the call on retirement just yet, despite having produced five scoreless games this season, an ignominious feat he pulled off just twice in his previous 17 NBA seasons, Bolch notes. Rivers continues to have faith that he’ll bounce back.
“I want him to keep shooting it the way he’s shot it for 17 years, and eventually, it’ll go in,” Rivers said, according to Bolch. “I really believe that.”
Do you think this season should be Pierce’s last? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Clippers Gauge Interest In Stephenson, Smith?
WEDNESDAY, 7:56am: Rivers denies that he’s reached out to anyone about Stephenson and Smith. The coach/executive addressed the issue in an appearance on “The Fred Roggin Show” on The Beast 980 radio in Los Angeles.
“Not true,” Rivers said of the initial report. “It’s amazing how silly this stuff is. I don’t comment on it much obviously but I can tell you, I think I’m the president of basketball and I’ve yet to have a conversation with any team about anyone right now. These reports come out and there’s nothing you can do about it.
An NBA executive told Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times that the Clippers indeed placed calls about Stephenson and Smith but that they were exploratory and routine for this time of year (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 8:30am: The Clippers measured the trade market for Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith last month, league sources told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, but they’ve withdrawn from that effort more recently amid a spate of injuries, Spears adds. The team doesn’t have anyone on its injury report currently, but it’s unclear if trade talks will resume. Spears also suggests the Clippers remain open to trading Jamal Crawford, a frequent subject of trade rumors in the offseason, though coach/executive Doc Rivers said in September that he’d be “very surprised” if Crawford doesn’t remain a Clipper throughout the season. Smith becomes eligible for inclusion in trades a week from today, while Stephenson and Crawford are already trade-eligible.
Two NBA executives indicated to Spears that the Clippers probably found a weak market for the pair. One exec suggested that the two are more likely to work buyouts than end up in trades, further speculating that Stephenson ends up back on the Pacers, his original team. The other executive who spoke with Spears alleged that Stephenson and Smith have negatively affected team chemistry in L.A. Smith recently shouted back and forth with assistant coach Mike Woodson following a loss, Spears reports. The second executive also said he believes it’ll be tough for the Clippers to find trade partners for either Smith or Stephenson since few had interest in either before they joined the team, Spears adds.
Still, the Kings, Mavs and Rockets were reportedly interested in signing Smith as a free agent this past summer, when he took a discount and joined the Clippers on a one-year, minimum-salary deal. The Nets apparently talked about trading for Stephenson on two different occasions last season, when he was with the Hornets, and the Heat were apparently among the teams with interest last year, too. It’s unclear if those teams were still eyeing him when the Clippers struck a deal to acquire him in June. He’s making $9MM this season and has a $9.405MM team option for next season.
What teams do you think would be strong fits for Stephenson, Smith and Crawford? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
L.A. Rumors: Stephenson, Rivers, Williams, Bryant
On his third team in three seasons, Lance Stephenson is working to rebuild his reputation with the Clippers, writes Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. After starring in Indiana, Stephenson signed a free agent deal with the Hornets in the summer of 2014. He was quickly branded a disappointment in Charlotte and was traded to the Clippers in June. He has settled into a backup role, averaging 18.5 minutes, 4.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists off the bench. “I’m on a better team,” Stephenson said. “I’ve got a group of guys that are veterans who know how to play the game. They help me out and teach me more about the game. I definitely feel better than when I was in Charlotte.”
There’s more tonight out of Los Angeles:
- The Clippers‘ Austin Rivers has become an effective fill-in when Chris Paul is injured, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Rivers, who re-signed with the team in July for $6.4MM over two seasons, has been especially effective on defense, where he is holding opponents to 33.1% from the field. “I just want to compete,” Rivers said. “The one lesson I’ve learned from the times I’ve done well starting and the times I haven’t is to just focus on playing hard. When I go in and think I’m playing so many minutes and need to help score, that’s when I don’t play as well. When I go out and just focus on competing, I play really well. That’s just my focus – to play hard and help the team win. You just play.”
- At age 29, Lou Williams has become a mentor to the Lakers‘ younger guards, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Coach Byron Scott praised the job that the free agent signee has done in passing along direction. “The one things we didn’t know we were getting with Lou is he had that natural instinct to be a leader,” Scott said. “Watching him interact with some of our young guys has been great.”
- The Lakers‘ young players are enjoying their role in Kobe Bryant‘s retirement tour, according to Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. Bryant has been the focus of intense media attention since announcing earlier this week that this will be his final NBA season. “It’s like Michael Jackson’s coming to town or something like that,” said Julius Randle. “I haven’t seen anything like it.”
2016/17 Salary Cap Projection: Clippers
The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league prior to the official numbers being announced had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM. Many league executives and agents believe that the salary cap will escalate to a whopping $95MM for 2016/17, a higher figure than the league’s last projection of $89MM. This significant bump is a result of the league’s new $24 billion TV deal that kicks in just in time for next season.
The increase in the salary cap will almost assuredly set off a flurry of activity in the free agent market next summer, and it will also make it easier than ever for teams to deal away their higher-priced stars. Prudent executives are acutely aware of exactly how much cap room they have to play with, not just for the current campaign, but for next season and beyond as well. While the exact amount of 2016/17’s salary cap won’t be announced until next summer, it always pays to know just how much salary is on the books for each franchise. With this in mind, we at Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the projected 2016/17 financial commitments for each franchise, and we’ll continue onward with a look at the Los Angeles Clippers:
- Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $92,907,003*
- Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $0
- Non Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $874,636
- Total Projected Salary Cap Commitments: $93,781,639
*Note: This amount includes the team option worth $9,405,000 for Lance Stephenson, as well as the player options for Austin Rivers ($3,344,106), Cole Aldrich ($1,227,286) and Wesley Johnson ($1,227,286). Also included in this amount is the $650,000 due Carlos Delfino, the $510,921 owed to Jordan Farmar and the $252,043 due Miroslav Raduljica, all of whom were waived via the stretch provision.
If the salary cap were to fall in line with the projection of $89MM, Los Angeles would be approximately $4,781,639 over the cap, or would have $1,218,361 in cap room if the salary cap were to be set at the higher mark of $95MM. Again, these are merely predictions until the exact cap amounts are announced, and they are not meant to illustrate the exact amount that the team will have available to spend this coming offseason.
Trades and long-term free agent signings made during the season will also have a significant impact on the figures above, and we’ll be updating these posts to reflect the new numbers after any signings and trades have been made official.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
And-Ones: Gasol, D-League, Terry, Cousins
Bulls big man Pau Gasol, who possesses a player option worth $7,769,520 for 2016/17, has said that he’s leaning toward opting out, but he did note that he would like to remain in Chicago beyond this season, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays. Responding to whether or not he’d like to stay with the Bulls, Gasol said, “Yes, of course. But when the time comes we’ll evaluate it. I’ll see how the season went. Where are the team’s interests, where are my interests, what options do I have? But most important is for me and the team to focus on what we have this season to make the best out of it and give ourselves a chance to win the title.”
Gasol was also asked if he missed anything about former head coach Tom Thibodeau and told Friedell, “I appreciated a lot of things that Thibs brought to the table. I think his intensity. Sometimes it could be a little bit overwhelming. I think [I miss most] his intensity and his passion and dedication for the game.” The veteran also noted that he appreciates the freedom and versatility of coach Fred Hoiberg‘s system, the ESPN scribe adds.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Jason Terry, who re-signed with the Rockets this past offseason, said he planned to join the Mavericks along with DeAndre Jordan, but Terry’s plans changed when Jordan decided to return to the Clippers, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News relays. “For me it was like a package deal,” Terry said. “If he [Jordan] came, I definitely was coming. Because that automatically made us a contender.” Terry also noted that he was shocked when Jordan reversed course and backed out of his verbal agreement with Dallas, Townsend adds. “When that happened, I kind of pushed the reset button,” Terry said. “Because I didn’t want to start over. I don’t want to be in a rebuilding phase. I don’t know if Dallas, at the time, knew if they were rebuilding or were they retooling. They were trying to see what was out there.“
- The Spurs have sent Boban Marjanovic and Ray McCallum to their D-League Affiliate in Austin, the team announced. This is the first D-League assignment of the season for both players.
- The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This is the second D-League trip of the season for McDaniels, as our assignments and recalls tracker illustrates.
- Kings coach George Karl believes that despite the rumored difficulties between he and center DeMarcus Cousins, the big man wants to remain in Sacramento, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
- James Ennis has been assigned by the Grizzlies to their D-League affiliate in Iowa, the team announced.
- The Clippers have assigned Branden Dawson to the D-League, and since the team does not have its own affiliate, Dawson will report to the Pistons’ squad in Grand Rapids, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.