Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Blake Griffin To Miss Four To Six Weeks

February 8th, 2015 at 11:35am CST by ChrisCrouse

Blake Griffin is expected to miss four to six weeks due to a staph infection in his right elbow, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Griffin will undergo surgery on Monday to drain the elbow. Shelburne adds that he could return sooner than four weeks but in typical cases of staph infections, it’s best to be conservative (Twitter link).

Griffin’s injury leaves the Clippers with a clear void in the frontcourt. The power forward was playing 35.3 minutes per game while scoring 22.5 points per game. The Clippers have an experienced backup big man in Spencer Hawes, whom the team spent the valuable full mid-level exception on last offseason. Hawes has played some minutes at the four spot but he may be an awkward fit next to center DeAndre Jordan for extended periods of time.

The Clippers are only six games ahead of the Pelicans, who currently reside in ninth place in the Western Conference. With the competitiveness of the conference, Los Angeles could be forced to make some sort of move. The Clippers have two open roster spots but are less than $1.2MM shy of their $80.829MM hard cap. The team was reportedly interested in obtaining a wing player, with Wilson Chandler being named as a possibility. With the news of Griffin’s injury and the Clippers’ lack of assets outside the team’s core, the franchise could switch its focus to finding a big man.

Western Notes: Rondo, Johnson, Davis

February 6th, 2015 at 9:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Mavericks still haven’t ruled out surgery for Rajon Rondo, who suffered orbital and nasal fractures earlier this week, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). For now, the point guard will miss at least the next three contests, and Dallas is hoping that a prolonged rest will abate the need for any invasive procedures, and a longer period of inactivity as a result, Stein adds.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Lakers swingman Wesley Johnson has signed with Jeff Austin and Omar Wilkes of Octagon Sports, Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal reports (Twitter link). Johnson was previously represented by the Landmark Sports Agency. The 27-year-old, who is making $981,084 this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Ed Davis has also left Landmark Sports and will now be represented by Leon Rose of the Creative Artists Agency, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News reports. Davis will reportedly turn down his player option with the Lakers worth $1,100,602 for 2015/16 in order to pursue a long-term deal in free agency.
Former Clippers point guard Jordan Farmar‘s contract with the Turkish team Darussafaka Dogus calls for him to make $800K for the remainder of the season, Can Pelister of TrendBasket.net reports (Twitter link; hat tip to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com). Since Farmar’s new contract is for less than the $816,482 one-year veteran’s minimum salary, Los Angeles will not be able to recoup any of the money it owes Farmer through set-off rights.
Ivan Johnson has been waived by the Texas Legends, the Mavs‘ D-League affiliate, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). The reason for the release is likely because Johnson has secured an overseas deal, Pilato adds. In seven D-League appearances this season, Johnson has averaged 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game.

Amar’e Stoudemire Still Considering Buyout

February 6th, 2015 at 5:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:44pm: Stoudemire reiterated that he will use the upcoming NBA All-Star break to decide whether or not to ask the Knicks to work out a buyout arrangement with him, Josh Newman of SNY.tv notes. “We’ll discuss that after the break,” Stoudemire said. “Right now, I’m focused on the rest of the season. We’ve got four games before the break, so I’m focused on that right now. I’ll keep you guys posted, man. Right now, we’ve got games in front of us today and tomorrow. We’ve got a lot going on, so I’ll keep you guys posted.”

9:32am: The Knicks have yet to speak with Stoudemire about a buyout, sources told Ian Begley of ESPN.com earlier this week.

12:54am: Amar’e Stoudemire‘s recent comments seemed to engender the belief that he wouldn’t ask the Knicks to agree to a buyout deal, but he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he plans to think about doing so over the upcoming All-Star break. The 32-year-old, who’s in the final year of a massive five-year contract worth nearly $99.744MM that pays him almost $23.411MM this season, nonetheless emphasized to Spears his strong affection for the Knicks organization and living in New York. Meanwhile, the Knicks are more focused on talking buyout with Andrea Bargnani, a league source tells Spears.

“All possibilities at this point are still open,” Stoudemire said of his own buyout possibility. “The door is still open for that. But at the same time, I am with the Knicks now. I got to stay optimistic about things and what we are doing here. I can’t really focus on the future because it’s not here. We still have a couple weeks left before it’s all said and done. It’s a decision I have to make with my family to figure out the best scenario for the near future.”

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers has spoken of his intention to fill the team’s pair of open roster spots with players who come free during “buyout season,” as Spears points out, speculating that they could become candidates to sign Stoudemire if he hits the market. The Mavs and Blazers are also looking for big men, Spears notes. Marc Berman of the New York Post wrote that it’s “quite possible” that Stoudemire would return to the Suns this summer and speculated that the Magic would have interest in the central Florida native this summer. It’s not entirely clear whether any of those teams would have interest in Stoudemire later this season, but if the Happy Walters client is willing to accept the minimum salary, he’d surely have no shortage of teams in pursuit.

Stoudemire is averaging 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game for the Knicks this season, and the rebounding average is by far his best since 2011/12. A 19.4 PER shows he’s still efficient in the playing time he sees, which persistent knee trouble and other ailments have limited in recent years. The Knicks have nonetheless been appreciative of his professionalism throughout his health struggles and the team’s woes on the court, Spears writes. Stoudemire tells Spears that he’s interested in playing several more years and said earlier this week that he expected to soon have a conversation with Knicks officials about a future with the team beyond this season.

“My heart always lies with the Knicks,” Stoudemire tells Spears. “My loyalty is with [Knicks owner] Mr. [Jim] Dolan. I feel like New York is my home now. I feel like I’m a New Yorker for sure.”

The Knicks reportedly engaged in internal discussions about a buyout for Stoudemire earlier this season. Team president Phil Jackson and company apparently spoke with the Sixers this summer about a trade, but it’ll be “virtually impossible” for the Knicks to find a taker for his bloated salary before the February 19th trade deadline, according to Spears. The Knicks have reportedly shopped Bargnani recently, though it has appeared as though the team was putting off buyout talks with him until after the deadline passes. The last day that either Stoudemire or Bargnani could hit waivers and still be eligible to appear in the postseason for another team is March 1st. That effectively sets the date as a buyout deadline, since there’d be little reason for either to give up salary if they couldn’t join another club for the postseason.

Hawks Trying To Woo Ray Allen

February 6th, 2015 at 4:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:56pm: The Hawks have indeed had discussions with Allen’s representatives about coming to Atlanta, but nothing appears to be imminent at this time, Vivlamore tweets.

8:27am: The Hawks are trying to convince Ray Allen to consider signing with them when and if he decides to play in the NBA this season, though the Cavs remain the favorites to land the 39-year-old, tweets Ryen Russillo of ESPN Radio. Still, coach Mike Budenholzer, acting as the team’s GM in place of Danny Ferry, who’s on a leave of absence, said he’s reluctant to tinker with a roster that’s won 34 of its last 37 games, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes.

“For us to be open to improving the group and adding more depth, with Thabo [Sefolosha] healthy or without Thabo healthy or without Thabo having this injury, it’s kind of the same mindset,” Budenolzer said. “We really like our group. You are hesitant to do anything. There is a little more opportunity for a six- to eight-week window but I don’t think it changes much if at all.”

Sefolosha, who plays the same position Allen does, is about a week into a six-to-eight-week timetable for recovery from a strained calf. Still, Sefolosha plays a much different style than the sharpshooting Allen, the league’s all-time leading three-point shot-maker. The Hawks have a full roster of 15 players signed through the end of the season, as our roster counts show, so they’d have to eat someone’s salary to accommodate Allen. Still, they have slightly more than $3MM worth of cap space to throw at the Jim Tanner client, who this past summer signaled a strong desire for more than the minimum salary should he return to the NBA this season.

Cleveland only has the minimum to give, and the same is true of the Wizards, who are reportedly Allen’s most aggressive suitor. Russillo wrote in December that he’d heard that Allen would make his decision in February, though Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote last week that people around the league increasingly believe that Allen knows the team he’d like to play for, and is simply deciding whether he wants to play at all. The Clippers, Grizzlies, Bulls and Spurs are other teams linked to Allen within the past few months. The Warriors seemed to have abandoned their earlier interest.

Jordan Farmar To Play In Turkey

February 5th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:26pm: The sides have reached a deal, Carchia reports (Twitter link).

1:21pm: Former Clippers point guard Jordan Farmar is close to signing with Darussafaka Dogus, sources tell Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The Cavs reportedly backed off after showing preliminary interest in signing Farmar shortly following his release from the Clippers in a buyout deal last month. It’s unclear how lucrative the Turkish deal would be, but if it’s greater than $816,482, the Clippers could recoup some of the guaranteed money they still owe Farmar, unless the sides decided to waive the right of set-off when they struck the buyout deal.

The Kings reportedly had discussions about a swap of Farmar for Ramon Sessions while Farmar was still with the Clippers, but it’s unclear if Sacramento has any interest in signing him as a free agent. The 28-year-old Farmar saw a career-low 14.7 minutes per game with the Clippers this season and he expressed disappointment with his limited role. Farmar and agent Tony Dutt agreed to give up nearly $950K to get out of the Clippers contract, which was to run through next season with a player option.

Farmar has played in Turkey before, with Anadolu Efes during the 2012/13 season, as Carchia points out. He was briefly overseas with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2011/12.

And-Ones: Stoudemire, Nuggets, Kenyon, Bucks

February 5th, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s “quite possible” that Amar’e Stoudemire would return to the Suns when he becomes a free agent this summer, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, who speculates that the Magic might have interest in the native of central Florida. In any case, he’s not looking to buy out his contract and hit free agency at any point this season, since he doesn’t want to uproot his family and would prefer the Knicks retain his Bird rights and the flexibility that comes with them, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The Knicks remain open to trading him, but it’s unlikely that they do, Kyler says, and Stoudemire said Wednesday that he doesn’t anticipate a swap. While we wait to see how it turns out for the big man who’s making more than $23.4MM this year, here’s more from around the league:

The general belief is that the Nuggets are seeking a first-round pick in return for Wilson Chandler, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. The Blazers and Clippers have interest, as Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post reported last month, but I speculated when I examined Chandler’s trade candidacy that it’s unlikely that Denver reaps a first-rounder for him.
Knicks president Phil Jackson confronted Kenyon Martin last month shortly after Martin made public comments indicating that the team didn’t have any interest in re-signing him this past offseason, a Bucks official tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
A key figure in the Wisconsin state legislature said Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal for $220MM worth of public funding for a new Bucks arena has “no chance” to receive legislative approval unless the city and county pony up funds, too, reports Scott Bauer of The Associated Press. The NBA can take over the Bucks in 2017 if no arena is in place.

Deveney’s Latest: Afflalo, Jackson, Hill

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

The NBA trade deadline is just over two weeks away and the front office activity around the league is sure to ramp up as February 19th rapidly approaches. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News ran down a number of tidbits regarding players who are on the trading block. Here are some of the highlights:

The Nuggets have discussed dealing Wilson Chandler but would prefer to trade Arron Afflalo instead, Deveney notes.
The trade market for Reggie Jackson is much weaker than the Thunder expected, Deveney adds.
Lakers center Jordan Hill remains a hot commodity despite Los Angeles informing interested teams that he isn’t available, Deveney reports. Hill is out with a quad injury that could sideline him until the deadline has passed, but the Sporting News scribe expects the interest in the big man to remain high.
Los Angeles is willing to deal Jeremy Lin if it could nab an asset in return, but the market for the Lakers‘ point guard has been weak, Deveney notes.
Bulls forward Taj Gibson has been linked to a number of interested teams around the league over the past few months, including the Raptors, Suns, Pistons, Trail Blazers, and an unspecified team from Los Angeles, Deveney relays.
The Wolves are open to the idea of trading Mo Williams, but with his team friendly salary and Minnesota’s young backcourt, the franchise isn’t desperate to make a deal, Deveney adds.
The Pistons are seeking backcourt depth in the wake of Brandon Jennings‘ injury and Jonas Jerebko is Detroit’s best available trade chip, Deveney opines. The Pistons have depth at the forward position and would like to deal Jerebko for a point guard, notes Deveney.
The Lakers have had their eyes on Suns guard Goran Dragic all season, but Los Angeles lacks the assets needed to get a deal done, the Sporting News scribe notes.
Kemba Walker‘s injury could change the Hornets‘ willingness to make a trade, but the team would still prefer to move Lance Stephenson, Deveney notes. There is still the possibility that talks with the Nets could start again for the mercurial guard, and the Pacers and the Knicks also remain possible destinations for Stephenson, Deveney reports.

Amico On Nets, Lawson, Williams, Kings

February 3rd, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the NBA trade deadline just over two weeks away, many GMs from around the league are certain to be burning up their phone plan minutes while trying to improve their teams for a playoff run, or for others, trying to clear as much cap space as possible for the summer’s free agent signing period. Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio ran down a number of rumors from around the league. Here are some of the highlights:

The Nets have been seeking trade partners for Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams, but they are looking to receive assets in return, and not to just dump salary in the deal, Amico notes. “I’ve talked to Brook about it, I’ve talked to Joe, I’ve talked to Deron,” Brooklyn GM Billy King said. “The players all know it’s part of the business, but we’re not looking just to get rid of these guys just because they’re saying they’re gonna do that. We’re exploring things that make sense as people call, but we’re not going to be making a trade to make a trade. That’s foolish.“
Brooklyn had originally spoken with the Kings regarding a possible deal for Williams over a month ago, but those discussions have since died out, Amico adds. The Nets had also discussed a trade with the Hornets involving Johnson and Lance Stephenson.
The Nuggets appear to be willing to trade point guard Ty Lawson, but Denver’s asking price is currently high enough that it is scaring away inquiring teams, the FOX Sports scribe notes.
The Timberwolves are willing to deal Mo Williams, and the Kings are interested, Amico hears. Other teams reportedly interested in the veteran guard are the Pistons, Heat, Cavs, and Clippers.
Barring a sudden turnaround in Sacramento, the odds are against Tyrone Corbin being retained as coach for next season, Amico notes. In addition to Kings executive Chris Mullin being a potential replacement, both Tyronn Lue and Larry Drew will be considered candidates as well, Amico adds.

Clippers Re-Sign Dahntay Jones For Season

February 3rd, 2015 at 5:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:02pm: The signing is official, the team has announced.

TUESDAY, 3:20pm: The Clippers have officially signed Jones for the remainder of the season, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).

MONDAY, 5:29pm: The Clippers will re-sign Dahntay Jones for the rest of the season after his second 10-day contract expires tonight, coach/executive Doc Rivers told reporters, including Dan Woike of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). Jones first joined the Clippers back on January 14th.

The Jazz brought the 10-year veteran Jones to training camp this past fall, but they released him before the start of the regular season. The 34-year-old went without a deal last season, save for a preseason stint with the Bulls, and, prior to this stint in L.A., he last appeared in an NBA regular season game with the Hawks in 2012/13. He averaged 14.4 points in 29.3 minutes per game with 38.5% three-point shooting for the D-League Mad Ants this year.

Over the last few weeks, Jones has logged 29 minutes across eight games for the Clippers, scoring four points and pulling down one rebound.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Warriors, Curry

February 3rd, 2015 at 2:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Many NBA teams are deathly afraid of paying the luxury tax, but Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob says that Golden State has no fear in that regard. The Warriors have more than $77.5MM in salary committed to just eight players for next season, and that doesn’t include a new deal for soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green. Still, Lacob & Co. are apparently willing to pay the price if it means being in championship contention. Here’s more from the Pacific Division..

The Clippers would like to acquire a wing player with more size, but they discovered when they came up empty in their pursuit of Jeff Green that they don’t have trade assets that other teams find attractive enough to part with such a player, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. The Spencer Hawes signing for the full $5.305MM mid-level exception helped drain the team of assets and flexibility, as Lowe explains, adding that most league executives nonetheless praised the Hawes signing when it took place.
Despite the pull of a Charlotte homecoming, Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News believes that Stephen Curry will want to stay with the Warriors for the long term. You never know what can happen between now and the summer of 2017, but Curry seems comfortable in Golden State despite having a new coach and the Warriors are showing that they can win this season.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com wonders if new owner Steve Ballmer is disappointed with what he’s seen out of the Clippers so far. As an executive, many have wondered if Doc Rivers has been making wise choices. His only meaningful addition has been Hawes, a jump-shooting big man who hasn’t connected all that often this season. Meanwhile, Rivers dealt for son Austin Rivers to help fortify a bench that is thin beyond Jamal Crawford and it remains to be seen whether that will get the job done.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.