Clippers Rumors

Clippers Sign Lester Hudson To 10-Day Deal

March 29th, 2015 at 12:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:35pm: The signing is official, Woike tweets.

8:56am: Guard Lester Hudson will sign a 10-day contract with the Clippers today, tweets Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Hudson, who had been playing with the Liaoning Flying Leopards in China, will be available for today’s game with the Celtics.

He has spent parts of three seasons in the NBA with the Celtics, Grizzlies, Wizards and Cavaliers, with his last NBA action coming in 2012. His career averages are 4.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 10.3 minutes of playing time.

Hudson gained fame in college when he recorded a quadruple-double at Tennessee-Martin. He was twice named Player of the Year in the Ohio Valley Conference before being drafted 58th overall in 2009 by the Celtics.

The signing probably means that Nate Robinson won’t be issued another 10-day contract. Robinson’s balky knee had limited his playing time, and his first deal expired March 16th. It also raises questions about the availability of Jamal Crawford for the rest of the season.

Pacific Notes: Love, Lakers, Sacre, Len

March 28th, 2015 at 6:54pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook teaming up and playing for the Lakers is a real possibility, opines Nick Dudukovich of Fansided.com. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com discussed the rumors of Love leaving Cleveland either this season or next on his podcast, which airs on ESPN Cleveland. Windhorst notes that out of all the stars in the league, the player that Love has the best relationship with is Westbrook.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Robert Sacre would like to play for Los Angeles next season, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “I would love to be back here. It would be fun,” said Sacre. “You’re a Laker. What else can you ask for? There’s no other franchise like it. It’s an honor to wear purple and gold.” Sacre has a non-guaranteed salary for the 2015/16 season, which is worth slightly more than $981K.
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic believes that Alex Len is the center of the future for the Suns. Phoenix picked up Len’s rookie scale option before the season and the team is likely to make the same decision regarding Len’s 2016/17 option, although that is just my speculation.
Pablo S, Torre of ESPN The Magazine chronicles Jeremy Lin‘s time to date for the Lakers and his career up to this point. Lin is in the last season of a three-year deal worth slightly over $25MM that he originally signed with Houston. The point guard will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 3/22/15-3/28/15

March 28th, 2015 at 10:12am CST by Eddie Scarito

In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have added a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:

“Do you see DeAndre Jordan commanding a max salary in free agency?” — Phil B.

I can certainly see Jordan seeking a max deal, but I’m not sure that he gets one. He’s having a great season, but the league doesn’t revolve around centers the way that it used to. Jordan will certainly be in line for a raise from the $11.4MM he is making this season. I just can’t see him being worth a $17MM+ annual salary. $15MM per feels about the right ballpark for him, though even that is a risk given how poorly big men age in the NBA.

The big unknown involved here is how the 2016 salary cap increase will change teams’ approaches this summer. There may be a few more franchises that will be willing to go into the luxury tax in 2015/16, knowing that the cap will increase significantly the following year. Plus, if upper tier salaries are going to jump as much as some speculate, Jordan inking a max deal this summer could end up looking like a bargain in three years time.

“What are the chances that John Calipari ends up coaching the Knicks next season?” — Tim

I’ll go with slim-to-none on this one. I just don’t see Calipari and Phil Jackson working well together. Plus, Calipari would likely ask for some level of control over personnel moves as part of his contract. That’s a likely deal-breaker in New York right now. I also don’t see the team giving up on Derek Fisher after a single season unless there are some serious philosophical differences that pop up between the coach and the front office. Plus, if Calipari actually wants to leave Kentucky, he can do much better than the Knicks for an NBA gig. Flip Saunders may want to get off of the sidelines in Minnesota and Coach Cal has a bit of experience developing young talent…

“Will both Monta Ellis and Rajon Rondo be in Dallas’ starting backcourt next season?” — Randall J.

It’s not looking good right now for the two to re-team next season in Dallas. The team’s offense has been flowing better with Rondo on the bench — not a great sign when talking about a point guard. I was willing to give the two players the benefit of the doubt, but it’s looking more and more like Ellis and Rondo just aren’t compatible. Rondo’s clashes with coach Rick Carlisle aren’t a great incentive for Rondo to want to return either. So there’s all of that.

But the factor that is usually the true determining one in these situations is money. Rondo is likely to seek a maximum salary deal, which isn’t something he’s likely to be worth at this stage of his career. I don’t see the Mavs offering that level of financial commitment to retain Rondo. With the Knicks and Lakers both set to have cap space and tons of desperation this summer, Rondo could be one of the beneficiaries. I think Rondo leaves Dallas for more zeroes on his paycheck.

As for Ellis, he has a tougher decision to make. The veteran guard has a player option worth $8.72MM for next season. It’s not clear yet whether or not he’ll opt out and try to secure a long-term deal. The cap is set to jump in 2016, so opting in and hitting the market that summer may hold more appeal. Out of the two players, Ellis is the one who is more likely to be back.

“Does J.R. Smith opt out of his deal this summer? Do you see him staying in Cleveland long-term?” — Alex V.

A couple of months ago I would have been sure that Smith would opt in on his $6,399,750 player option for 2015/16. I’m not so certain any more. That’s what competing for a contending team will do for a player’s energy level and stat line. Smith has fit in rather well in Cleveland, so there’s that to consider. He could opt in and try to cash in when the cap jumps during the summer of 2016. That would be the safe play. But if Smith has a stellar playoffs and can control his antics, he could be looking at a number of long-term offers. I’d speculate that the Mavs would be interested in signing Smith if Ellis departs as a free agent. My guess is that barring a spectacular individual playoff run, Smith opts in or works out a long-term deal with the Cavs.

“Give me your mock draft for the top five picks (using the current standings as the draft order)” — Aaron

It’s still a bit early to make an accurate mock draft. Quite a few things can change during the pre-draft process. But now that I’ve blanketed myself in the warmth of a disclaimer I’ll answer the question. Using Hoops Rumors’ Reverse Standings to determine the draft order, here’s how I see the first five picks shaking out…

Knicks — C Jahlil Okafor (Duke)
Timberwolves — F Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky)
Sixers — G Emmanuel Mudiay (China)
Lakers — G D’Angelo Russell (Ohio State)
Magic — F Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia)

That’s all the space I have for this week’s inquiries. Please keep all the submissions coming and I’ll be back next Saturday with more thoughts and opinions.

Pacific Notes: Robinson, Clippers, Warriors

March 27th, 2015 at 8:43am CST by Zachary Links

On February 6th against the Jazz, Marcus Morris became the first Suns player to have at least 30 points and 10 rebounds off the bench since Danny Manning did so in 1997. In many ways, it was a confirmation of what he and his teammates already knew: Morris was not a fluke in his previous games as a reserve, Ben York of NBA.com writes. Currently, Morris is averaging career-highs in points (10.4 PPG), field goal percentage (44.3%), rebounds (4.5 RPG), and assists (1.6 APG). Here’s more from the Pacific Division..

Nate Robinson‘s second 10-day deal expired on Thursday and he will not be re-signed by the Clippers just yet due to his sore left knee, a league spokesman told Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. The spokesman said the Clippers will see how Robinson’s knee is recovering before making a decision on whether to bring him back for the rest of the season. The guard averaged 5.1 PPG and 2.2 APG across nine games for the Clippers but had to sit out of Wednesday night’s contest against the Knicks due to the injury.
Earlier this week, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said “there’s a chance” that Jamal Crawford will not return this season, but the guard doesn’t agree, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes. When asked whether he was concerned his calf injury might end his season, Crawford said, “No, I’m not worried. I believe I’ll be fine.” The veteran has averaged 16.4 PPG this season.
Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com conducted a very interesting Q&A with Warriors GM Bob Myers. The chat touched on his relationship with coach (and former GM) Steve Kerr and the team’s previous pursuit of DeAndre Jordan.

Western Notes: Anderson, Douglas, Barron

March 26th, 2015 at 7:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Ryan Anderson, who has been out of action since February with an MCL sprain in his right knee, could be making his return for the Pelicans next week, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”We’re progressing each day and continue to ramp up to be ready,” Anderson said. ”We’ll do a little more on the court. There is a mental aspect where I got to get over the fact that my knee is stronger and OK. There is still some strengthening I need to build up. But we’re doing everything we can and it is frustrating and it’s tough being out.” In 52 games this season the big man has averaged 14.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per night.

Here’s more out of the Western Conference:

Earl Barron‘s deal with the Suns for the rest of the season is indeed just that, without any extra years tacked on, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Jordan Hamilton‘s latest Clippers contract is a two-year arrangement with non-guaranteed salary for next season, Pincus tweets.
The Pelicans tacked a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season onto their deal with Toney Douglas, Pincus relays (Twitter link). His 2015/16 pay becomes guaranteed if he remains under contract through August 1st, as Pincus shows on the Basketball Insiders Pelicans salary page.
Bryce Cotton‘s multiyear deal with the Jazz covers both 2015/16 and 2016/17 with non-guaranteed salaries, as Pincus also reports (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

2015/16 Salary Commitments: Clippers

March 26th, 2015 at 6:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.

We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.

We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Clippers’ cap outlook for 2015/16…

Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:

Carlos Delfino (Stretch Provision) — $650K
Jordan Farmar (Stretch Provision) — $510,922
Blake Griffin — $18,907,725
Spencer Hawes — $5,543,725
Chris Paul — $21,468,696
Miroslav Raduljica (Stretch Provision) — $252,042
J.J. Redick — $7,085,000
C.J. Wilcox — $1,159,680

Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:

Matt Barnes — $3,542,500 ($1MM Guaranteed)
Jamal Crawford — $5,675,000 ($1.5MM Guaranteed)
Jordan Hamilton — $1,015,421

Players with options:

None

The Clippers’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:

Guaranteed Salary: $58,077,790
Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $7,732,921
Total: $65,810,711

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

The Beat: Dan Woike On The Clippers

March 26th, 2015 at 3:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.

We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. We’ll tip off the series with Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, who covers the Clippers. You can follow Dan on Twitter at @DanWoikeSports and click here to check out his stories for the Register.

Hoops Rumors: How is Doc Rivers handling the dual role of coach and executive? How heavily does he lean on the other basketball operations execs, and has the dynamic evolved during his time there?

Dan Woike: I think he still views himself as a coach first. He’s not taking time from his daily coaching duties to review scouting reports from D-League games or draft candidates. His priority is the team he has today. I think he leans on guys like [GM] Dave Wohl to handle that stuff for him. Like any job, I think he’ll get better handling the two roles. What’s interesting to me is how, at times, they should pull him in different directions. As a coach, his priority has to be to win now. But as an executive, you have to be trying to figure out how to win in five years. The great ones figure out ways to accomplish both, and I think that’s what he’s trying to do.

Hoops Rumors: What’s been the most substantial change around the organization since Steve Ballmer replaced Donald Sterling as owner?

Dan Woike: There was always a sense that another shoe would drop with Donald Sterling, that he’d do or say something that would embarrass the organization. Now that he’s gone, there isn’t that worry. They show the owner on the scoreboard now and people cheer. They didn’t put Sterling up there because they knew how people would react. They’ve invested in things like 3-D court displays, analytics stuff for fans and better in-game promotions to better the fan experience. There’s still room to grow on that end, but people seem happier.

Hoops Rumors: It’s been really quiet on the Sterling front since Ballmer officially took over. Do you get the sense that everyone there, players included, has put Sterling behind them?

Dan Woike: Players were ready to move on as soon as he was banned for life. The sale cemented that. They don’t spend a lot of time thinking about him, I can promise.

Hoops Rumors: Was there any hesitancy at all among the players when it became clear the team was in talks to trade for Austin Rivers? How has Doc’s son been received by his teammates?

Dan Woike: I talked to some former Clipper players at that time, and they expressed some concerns about how a team would handle something like this. Would players still be free to vent their frustrations? Would they need to watch what they said? I think everyone involved worked hard to make it clear that it wouldn’t be an issue, and the fact Austin has come in with a good attitude and a willingness to play defense, I think it’s helped. The fact that they’re winning certainly doesn’t hurt, either.

Hoops Rumors: DeAndre Jordan spoke about this summer’s free agency recently and has done so from time to time. Is there any sense of anxiety around the rest of the team when he brings that up?

Dan Woike: I think it’s on DJ to decide what he wants to do. The Clippers have been open and clear about their intents. Doc Rivers has said they’ll do anything they can to keep him. The question becomes, does DJ want to stay? I think they know there’s not much more they can do to convince him than what they’ve already done.

Hoops Rumors: Do you think that Doc would still make the Eric Bledsoe/J.J. Redick deal if he had a chance to do that 2013 offseason over again?

Dan Woike: This is a great question. At the time, people really liked that trade because it seemed like they were adding two starters. Injuries kept Jared Dudley from becoming the player the Clippers hoped, but Redick has been such a key for their offense. Could the Clippers have just signed Redick outright without trading Bledsoe? I don’t know. Could they have maybe gotten a little more? They certainly could’ve used a young asset back in that deal to help them improve down the road. I think if they were faced with the exact same offer today, knowing how good Redick has been, they’d make the deal. Maybe. Haha.

And-Ones: Beverley, Woodson, Terry

March 25th, 2015 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Patrick Beverley‘s injured wrist is still being evaluated and the player will miss at least ten days, and potentially the remainder of the Rockets‘ season if he requires surgery, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “He is going to meet more people today and get a final determination as to what is going to happen,” coach Kevin McHale said. “There probably won’t be any major decisions made for a week-10 days, see what happens.” Beverly has been diagnosed with a torn ligament, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

Here’s more from around the league:

Former Knicks coach and current Clippers assistant Mike Woodson says that he absolutely wants to be an NBA head coach again, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link).
Woodson also said that if he had been retained as Knicks coach he would have pushed for the team to hold onto Tyson Chandler and to keep the veteran core together another season, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
With the loss of Beverely, the Rockets will need Jason Terry to step up his game if the team is to stay afloat in the Western Conference, Creech writes in a separate article. “I am looking to turn up my aggression offensively,” Terry said. “It’s something I haven’t been doing all season. You have seen a spark once or twice, like in Atlanta, maybe the Milwaukee game, but at this age it’s hard to do that all the time, but in these last two weeks before the playoffs, I am going to turn up my aggression very high and try to get a rhythm and consistency on the offensive end of the floor.”

Metta World Peace Signs To Play In Italy

March 24th, 2015 at 8:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Metta World Peace has signed a contract with Italy’s Pallacanestro Cantù for the remainder of the season, the team announced (Twitter link). The former Ron Artest’s brother, Daniel Artest, said this weekend that the 15-year NBA veteran would sign with the team, though Cantù’s coach wouldn’t confirm the news, saying only that the club was in talks with World Peace. The 35-year-old forward hooked up with Octagon Europe and agent Georgios Dimitropulos to facilitate the deal, as Dimitropulos tweets (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).

It’s the second overseas excursion this season for World Peace, who played 15 games with China’s Sichuan Blue Whales after signing with the team in August. He had reportedly been seeking deals with the Knicks, Lakers and Clippers over the summer, and while the Knicks apparently considered the possibility, no deal materialized, and World Peace made it clear once the season started that he no longer wanted to play for the Knicks or the Lakers. There appeared to be some level of interest from the Clippers in a late-season deal, but coach/executive Doc Rivers downplayed that, and now it appears World Peace is off the table.

World Peace put up 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game in China this year after a season of career lows in New York that ended shortly before former coach Phil Jackson took over as team president. The 2003/04 Defensive Player of the Year regretted buying out his contract before the Zen Master arrived in New York, but a reunion never came to pass. A four-year tenure with the Lakers ended in 2013 when the team used the amnesty clause to waive him.

And-Ones: Lopez, Crawford, Holiday

March 22nd, 2015 at 10:02pm CST by Will Joseph

With the way Brook Lopez has played this season, he has plenty of reason to not exercise his $16.7MM player option for the 2015/16 season with the Nets, and instead test free agency, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes. Lopez signed a four-year, $60.8MM deal with the Nets in July 2012. The big man is averaging 16.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game since the All-Star break, so he would likely receive plenty of interest from several teams, Bontemps adds. Lopez played in only 17 games last season because of a foot injury.

“I haven’t thought about that,” Lopez said of the player option. “I want to keep going, keep continuing to get my legs under me, and back to confidently playing basketball and being the player I normally can be. That’s still way out. I always take it one game at a time, so it’s definitely a ways out.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said “there’s a chance” that Jamal Crawford will not return this season and added that the veteran guard is nowhere near playing, Melissa Rohlin of The Los Angeles Times writes. The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year has a very deep bruise on his right calf, and he’s had to have it drained once in the last 10 days, the Clippers said before Sunday’s game. The Clippers have gone 6-4 since losing Crawford, who is averaging 16.4 PPG this season. J.J. Redick has stepped up without Crawford by scoring at least 20 points in each of his last four games. “Jamal told me he’s feeling better,” Rivers said. “It’s just that it doesn’t seem like it. Honestly, we don’t know. There’s no target date for Jamal, for sure.”
There’s a strong chance Justin Holiday‘s short run as the Warriors’ starting shooting guard ends Monday if Klay Thompson‘s sprained right ankle is healed, but the journeyman has made strides toward improving his game while playing in an enhanced role, Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group writes.

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