Clippers Waive Jordan Farmar In Buyout Deal
12:46pm: The Clippers have officially waived Farmar, the team announced. That leaves the team with 13 players on its roster.
12:08pm: There will be a buyout involved, Woike clarifies (on Twitter), so Farmar will apparently forfeit part of his salary.
11:43am: The team is set to waive Farmar today, Woike tweets. It’s unclear what sort of progress, if any, the sides were able to make on arranging a buyout deal as part of the release.
8:02pm: The Clippers and Farmar hope to reach an agreement on a buyout by this evening, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link).
3:29pm: The Clips continue to work to see if they can trade Farmar, but the general feeling is that they’ll waive him by day’s end, according to Markazi (Twitter link).
3:15pm: The Clippers will waive Jordan Farmar, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Dan Woike of the Orange County Register had reported a few minutes earlier that the Clips had planned to either trade or waive the point guard (Twitter link). They’d been trying to trade Farmar for a while, but his player option, worth more than $2.17MM for next season, made it too tough a task, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter).
The Kings reportedly had discussions about trading Ramon Sessions for Farmar, but it’s unclear if those talks involved the Clippers or if they were internal. Farmar is seeing a career-low 14.7 minutes per game this season and has apparently been dissatisfied with his limited role.
The Clippers have been carrying 15 players, including Dahntay Jones, who’s on a 10-day deal. They’re poised to give up two players and take back only Austin Rivers in a three-way trade with the Celtics and the Suns, so cutting Farmar would leave the team with two open roster spots, with another to come open at the end of Jones’ 10-day contract. The Clippers are reportedly interested in Nate Robinson, who’s agreed to a buyout with the Celtics.
Farmar’s salary of $2.077MM for this season would remain on the Clippers’ books, and count against the team’s hard cap, unless another team were to claim him off waivers, which seems unlikely. All contracts with player options contain a clause stating whether or not the player would receive the salary for the option year in the event he’s waived before he has a chance to exercise it. It’s unclear what Farmar’s deal stipulates in this regard, but if he’s to receive his salary for next year, it would count against the Clips’ books for 2015/16.
Western Notes: Bullock, Rivers, Lopez
Suns GM Ryan McDonough is excited about adding Reggie Bullock to the team’s roster because of the player’s high basketball IQ, ability to play either wing spot, and for his defensive abilities, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “We’ve really liked his ability to shoot the ball with his size on the perimeter and his ability to defend NBA athletes on the wing with size,” McDonough said. “We’re confident that, with more time and repetitions, that he has the potential to be an elite shooter at the NBA level.” Phoenix had its eye on Bullock heading into the 2013 NBA draft, but the Clippers snagged him four picks ahead of the Suns wound up with Archie Goodwin as a result, Coro notes.
Here’s the latest out of the West:
- With Austin Rivers now a member of the Clippers, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com takes a look at what the player brings to Los Angeles. Kavner opines that Rivers will add youth, as well as some needed scoring and playmaking ability off of the bench for the Clippers.
- The Suns have a glut of point guards on the roster, as well as a number of players with maturity issues, a combination that may lead to the team being active on the trade market prior to February’s deadline, Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic writes.
- With the rumors of Brook Lopez potentially coming to the Thunder heating up, Jon Hamm of The Oklahoman looks at how the deal could benefit Oklahoma City, as well as the risks involved. Hamm notes that Kendrick Perkins would likely have to be included in any deal for salary matching purposes. Plus, the team could end up missing Perkins’ defense, and making the trade brings team chemistry risks with it as well.
Clippers Acquire Austin Rivers
The Clippers have acquired Austin Rivers in a three-team trade with the Celtics and Suns, as Boston, Los Angeles and Phoenix have officially announced. In addition to Rivers heading to Los Angeles, the Celtics will receive Shavlik Randolph from Phoenix and Chris Douglas-Roberts and a 2017 second-round pick from the Clippers, and the Suns will get Reggie Bullock from Los Angeles. Boston intends to waive Douglas-Roberts, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald (Twitter links). The Celtics will also be able to create a trade exception worth $2.4MM.
After much back and forth between the Clippers and the Celtics, Rivers will join his father, Doc Rivers, in Los Angeles. The elder Rivers was reportedly concerned about the perception that would surround a father trading for and coaching his son, but Clippers GM Dave Wohl and assistant coaches Lawrence Frank and Mike Woodson have reportedly encouraged Doc to forgo his concerns and make the deal.
The younger Rivers has never quite lived up to having been selected No. 10 overall by New Orleans back in 2012, and he could benefit from a change of scenery. He’s in the last year of his rookie deal, and he’s set to become a free agent at the end of the season. Rivers’ career numbers are 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 165 total contests. His career slash line is .390/.332/.631.
In Randolph, Boston receives a 6’10”, 31-year-old forward with career averages of 2.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and a career slash line of .455/.200/.544 over 141 games. Randolph, who previously played for the Celtics at the end of the 2012/13 season, is earning $1,227,985 in the final year of his deal.
The inclusion of Bullock in the deal was apparently one of the sticking points with getting the deal done, tweeted Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, but the Clippers obviously relented in order to consummate the trade. The 23-year-old swingman should fit in well in Phoenix’s system and could see an increase in playing time with the Suns. Bullock is averaging 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 10.5 minutes per game over 25 appearances for Los Angeles this season. His shooting numbers are .426/.385/.800. He is making $1,200,720 this season, and is in line to receive $1,252,440 in 2015/16. His rookie scale contract includes a team option of $2,255,644 for the 2016/17 campaign.
Douglas-Roberts, 28, is making $915,243 this season, so Boston won’t be on the hook for much in the way of salary after it waives the veteran swingman. In 12 appearances this season, he has averaged 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game. His shooting numbers are .238/.143/1.000.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald first reported the trade, Shams Charania of RealGM first reported the inclusion of Randolph and Bullock, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reported the inclusion of Douglas-Roberts, and Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald first noted that the Celtics would acquire a second round draft pick.
Clippers To Acquire Austin Rivers
4:23pm: Markazi now says the Clippers will indeed send a 2017 second-rounder Boston’s way, adding that the Clips tried hard not to give up the pick (Twitter link).
3:25pm: The Clippers aren’t giving up a second-rounder, according to Markazi (Twitter link), which conflicts with Murphy’s report.
3:08pm: The Celtics will receive a 2017 second-round pick from the Clippers, and Boston will waive Douglas-Roberts once he comes in via the trade, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald (Twitter links).
2:50pm: Douglas-Roberts is also headed to Boston in the deal, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). That would be enough salary coming off the Clippers’ books to make the trade legal, though it would still leave the Clips closer to the hard cap than they had been.
2:40pm: Shavlik Randolph is heading from the Suns to the Celtics, Bullock is going to the Suns, and Rivers is going to the Clippers, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Coro hinted at a potential Bullock-Randolph exchange a few minutes earlier (on Twitter). Randolph is on an expiring contract with a salary worth nearly $1.228MM. The Clippers would need to give up more than Bullock’s salary of nearly $1.201MM to take back Rivers, who makes $2.44MM, so it appears there’s still more to be worked out. The Clippers, a tax team, can’t take back more than 125% plus $100K of what they give up via trade, and they must stay under their hard cap.
1:42pm: Bullock is back in play for the Suns, Coro tweets.
1:14pm: One of the teams involved nixed the idea of Bullock going to the Suns, though the matter might be revisited, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
12:50pm: Farmar will not be heading to the Celtics in the deal, Murphy tweets.
12:43pm: The Celtics have told Austin Rivers that the trade will be finalized today, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).
12:36pm: The Suns are drawing increasing mention as the likely third team in the deal, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The involvement of Phoenix, which is under the cap, would allow the Celtics not to have to take back any salary for Rivers, Stein points out, and that would also let the Celtics create a trade exception. The belief is that the Suns covet Bullock, though the Clippers would prefer not to surrender him, according to Stein. In any case, Rivers still hasn’t reported to Boston, though that’s with the permission of the Celtics, who’ve promised him that they’ll send him to the Clippers, and that remains the plan (All Twitter links).
THURSDAY, 9:08am: The Clippers appear to be making progress toward finalizing the trade, and it’ll probably involve some combination of Farmar, Douglas-Roberts and Bullock, a league source tells Bolch. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge still insists there’s a chance Rivers remains with Boston, as he said this morning in a radio appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub with Rich Shertenlieb and Fred Toucher, according to Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com (Twitter link). It nonetheless appears that the deal remains on track, Rohrbach adds. The Celtics and Clippers are still looking for a third team, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
12:54pm: Chris Douglas-Roberts is a “strong candidate” to be dealt, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, noting that Douglas-Roberts is on an expiring contract. The small forward has a one-year deal for the minimum salary.
WEDNESDAY, 11:20am: The belief has been that the Clippers have been talking to the Suns about taking on salary the Clippers would need to unload to complete the Rivers deal, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. It’s unclear if the Clippers would prefer to bring Phoenix into the Rivers trade to make it a three-team swap or make separate transactions.
TUESDAY, 11:01pm: The Celtics aren’t done reshaping their roster after all of their recent trades. Boston will reportedly ship Austin Rivers to the Clippers, but the move will have to wait until Boston can clear roster space for two expiring contracts, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald reports (Twitter links). The Celtics will also nab themselves a second round draft pick in the deal, Bulpett adds. Boston currently has 15 players on its roster, including the newly acquired Nate Robinson.
To clear the required roster spots, the Celtics are reportedly likely to attempt to reach buyout arrangements with Robinson and Tayshaun Prince. As for whom the Celtics would need to clear room for, assuming the roster spots they needed to clear were for players they would receive from Los Angeles, both Reggie Bullock and Jordan Farmar have been mentioned as potential trade candidates. However, Farmar doesn’t necessarily qualify as a player with an expiring deal, since he has a player option for 2015/16 worth $2,170,465.
Rivers will join his father, Doc Rivers, in Los Angeles. The elder Rivers was reportedly concerned about the perception that would surround a father trading for and coaching his son, but Clippers GM Dave Wohl and assistant coaches Lawrence Frank and Mike Woodson have reportedly encouraged Doc to forgo his concerns and make the deal.
The younger Rivers has never quite lived up to having been selected No. 10 overall by New Orleans back in 2012, and he could benefit from a change of scenery. He’s in the last year of his rookie deal, and he’s set to become a free agent at the end of the season. Rivers’ career numbers are 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 165 total contests. His career slash line is .390/.332/.631.
Farmar, who signed with the Clippers for the full value of the biannual exception this past offseason, is reportedly displeased with his role on the Clippers, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote about a month ago. He’s currently logging a career-low 14.7 minutes per game. Bullock, 23, is averaging 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 10.5 minutes per game over 25 appearances for Los Angeles this season. His shooting numbers are .426/.385/.800.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Western Notes: Miller, Bryant, Smith, Gasol
After initially targeting Darius Miller for a 10-day contract, the Clippers changed their mind and inked Dahntay Jones the following day instead. The reason for the sudden shift in direction, according to Clippers president of basketball operations Doc Rivers, was that after watching Miller work out, Rivers wasn’t happy with the shape that he was in, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). Rivers did leave open the possibility of Miller getting a 10-day deal later on in the season, Bolch adds.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- If the Lakers are completely out of playoff contention come March, a likely scenario with the team currently 10 games out of the final playoff spot in the brutally tough West, then Los Angeles might shut down Kobe Bryant for the remainder of the season, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times reports.
- Josh Smith is beginning to find his niche with the Rockets, and the team hopes that adding a potential difference maker without having to raid its core will pay off come playoff time, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. Smith also said that he views getting waived by Detroit as “a blessing” because he was given the chance to receive every dime owed him as well as upgrade to a contending team, Lee adds.
- Grizzlies big man Marc Gasol will be one of the most sought after free agents next summer, and the veteran is playing the best basketball of his career at just the right time for him to cash in on it, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes. Powell also examines a number of teams that could entice Gasol, should he choose to leave Memphis, including the Blazers, Hawks, Lakers, and Spurs.
Clippers Sign Dahntay Jones To 10-Day Pact
5:20pm: The deal is official, the Clippers have announced.
8:32am: The Clippers have decided to sign Dahntay Jones to a 10-day contract instead of Darius Miller, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reported earlier that the Clips would sign Miller to a 10-day deal, but the team changed its mind, as the Yahoo! scribe writes in his latest dispatch. It’s simply a matter of the team liking Jones a bit better, tweets Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, and the 30 points that Jones put up Tuesday for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League surely didn’t hurt.
Jones is expected to join the Clippers for tonight’s game against the Blazers, according to Woike (on Twitter), so unless the team is ready to formalize its deal to acquire Austin Rivers from the Celtics, it doesn’t appear as though the Jones signing is contingent on the completion of the trade. The Clippers already have an open roster spot to accommodate Jones.
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 he last appeared in an NBA regular season game with the Hawks in 2012/13. He’s averaged 14.4 points in 29.3 minutes per game with 38.5% three-point shooting for the D-League Mad Ants this year.
Blazers, Clippers Interested In Wilson Chandler
WEDNESDAY, 1:36pm: The Blazers and Clippers are among many teams who have strong interest in acquiring Chandler, Dempsey reports, though coach Brian Shaw denies that the team is trying to trade either Chandler or Afflalo. Chandler says the Nuggets told him they wouldn’t trade him, Dempsey writes, echoing his earlier report, though the swingman doesn’t dismiss the possibility that the team would nonetheless deal him away. Shaw clarifies that while the team isn’t shopping anyone, the Nuggets won’t turn away offers of the sort that pried Mozgov loose. The Nuggets have been “flooded with inquiries” about nearly everyone on the team, Dempsey writes.
“I’d be willing to go out on a limb and say that anybody on our team and everybody on our team, if there were an offer that was too good to pass up, everybody would be expendable,” Shaw said. “If Phil Jackson came out of retirement and said he wanted to come coach the Denver Nuggets, I’m expendable. You know what I mean? It is what it is. We all have had to deal with it at some point in our careers. They’ll be fine.”
TUESDAY, 9:30am: The Nuggets are aggressively shopping Wilson Chandler in a future-focused pursuit of assets, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (Twitter link). It appears there’s plenty of interest from other teams in the eighth-year veteran, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported Monday that the Nuggets were receiving numerous calls about Chandler as well as Arron Afflalo. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post also heard last month that the team had fielded multiple inquiries about Chandler, though he added that the Nuggets had told the 29-year-old that they preferred to keep him. That was before the team traded Timofey Mozgov last week in a deal that brought back two first-round picks.
The Thunder reportedly checked on Denver’s willingness to part with Chandler, according to a report from Chris Mannix of SI.com a month ago, though a trade last week may have changed the equation for Oklahoma City, too, since the Thunder have acquired Dion Waiters. Chandler wanted to play for the Pistons in the past, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweets, though it’s unclear if that’s the case now. The swingman is making nearly $6.758MM this season, but next season’s salary of almost $7.172MM is only guaranteed for $2MM, putting him on an expiring contract of sorts.
Denver had been drawing closer to the realization that the playoffs are most likely out of reach, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote last week, but the team has won four in a row. Still, the Nuggets are 17-20, three and a half games behind the Suns for eighth place in the Western Conference. A Chandler trade could help Denver escape mediocrity, as I wrote when I examined his trade candidacy.
Kings Discuss Sessions-Farmar Swap
WEDNESDAY, 11:26pm: The Kings have talked about a swap of Sessions for Farmar, Jones writes in a full story. It’s unclear if those were internal discussions or if the Clippers were involved. Sacramento wants more perimeter shooting, and Farmar would help in that area, Jones adds. Sessions is the most likely King to be dealt as the team explores trades, according to Jones.
TUESDAY, 2:53pm: Jordan Farmar is a possible target for the Kings as they look to make a deal, a source tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, who also hears there’s a chance the team will send out Ramon Sessions (Twitter link). The Clippers have been talking to other teams about Farmar, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reported Monday. The Clippers appear poised to acquire Austin Rivers from the Celtics, who took him in as part of Monday’s Jeff Green trade, though the Clippers have reportedly been looking to find a third team that would provide the expiring contract the Celtics want.
Farmar, who signed with the Clippers for the full value of the biannual exception this past offseason, is reportedly displeased with his role on the Clippers, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote about a month ago. He’s seeing a career-low 14.7 minutes per game after receiving 22.2 MPG with the Lakers last season, the second most playing time of his career.
His salaries for this season and next are identical to those of Sessions, who also signed for the biannual, though Farmar possesses a player option for next season while Sessions does not. They make $2.077MM this year and are set for more than $2.17MM in 2015/16. The matching salaries would be key for the Clippers if there were a Farmar-Sessions swap, since the Clips are less than $2MM shy of the hard cap they triggered in part when they signed Farmar.
Sessions is also seeing the least amount of playing time in his career, averaging 17.1 MPG. He hasn’t played since December 22nd as he’s dealt with a strained lower back.
Celtics Acquire Nate Robinson
8:18pm: The trade is official, both the Celtics and the Nuggets have announced. Judging by Denver GM Tim Connelly‘s statement in the press release, the Nuggets intend to keep Nelson. “We are excited to add a player of Jameer’s caliber to our roster,” said Connelly. “We have no doubt that his experience and veteran leadership will be of value to our team.”
5:05pm: The Celtics are close to acquiring guard Nate Robinson from the Nuggets, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Boston will be sending Jameer Nelson to Denver in return, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Nelson had been acquired from Dallas in the deal for Rajon Rondo, but didn’t fit into Boston’s long-term plans. Robinson is expected to reach a buyout arrangement with the Celtics, Spears adds (Twitter links). The Nuggets will not be sending any draft picks to the Celtics in this deal, Spears also notes.
Robinson, the diminutive point guard out of Washington University, is a potential candidate to be signed by the Clippers if he is released, Wojnarowski tweets. Denver had discussed a deal with Los Angeles for Robinson in recent weeks, though no arrangement could be agreed upon, Wojnarowski notes. Robinson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and is making $2,106,720 this season.
The Clippers had also been reported to be in pursuit of new Celtic Austin Rivers and continue to try to acquire him even in the wake of this deal for Boston, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Los Angeles has reportedly engaged in talks to send out Jordan Farmar, so a separate deal for Rivers could still be possible. The Clippers are also looking to unload Reggie Bullock to clear cap space under their hard cap, Pincus reports (Twitter link).
In 33 games for the Nuggets this season, Robinson has averaged 5.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 14.1 minutes per contest. His career numbers over nine seasons in the league are 11.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG. His career slash line is .424/.360/.796.
Nelson, 32, was also reportedly in talks to reach a buyout arrangement with he Celtics, since he was unhappy with his playing time since arriving in Beantown. In 680 career games Nelson has averaged 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. His slash line is .439/.372/.816.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
No Deal For Clippers, Darius Miller
WEDNESDAY, 8:32am: The team decided against signing Miller and will instead ink Dahntay Jones instead, Wojnarowski reports.
TUESDAY, 4:56pm: The Clippers will sign Darius Miller to a 10-day contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Los Angeles currently has 14 players on its roster, so no corresponding move will need to be made to accommodate the addition of Miller. Miller had previously appeared in five contests with the Pelicans earlier this season, but was waived back in November.
The Clippers have been mentioned to be interested in signing Nate Robinson, should he reach a buyout with the Celtics in the wake of him being dealt from Denver for Jameer Nelson. This could make Miller’s stay in Los Angeles a brief one, though with the team possibly looking to deal Reggie Bullock and Jordan Farmar, the Clippers’ roster could change markedly over the next few days.
Miller’s career averages are 3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in a total of 102 NBA appearances. His slash line is .420/.351/.841.