Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lawrence On Grizzlies Sale, Pau Gasol, Clippers

June 17th, 2012 at 11:09am CST by Daniel Seco

Jeremy Lin will have the opportunity to appeal his arbitration case to a three-person board if he loses, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. The same is true for the NBA if it doesn't win against Lin, Steve Novak, J.J. Hickson and Chauncey Billups as the players fight to retain their Bird Rights after being waived at various points just prior to and during the 2011/2012 season. Let's catch up on the latest rumors and headlines as reported by Lawrence in his latest offering…

Amico On Bulls, Sloan, Blazers, Crawford

June 15th, 2012 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Within the last week, both Sam Smith of Bulls.com and Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com concocted trade scenarios in which the Bulls acquire Tyreke Evans from the Kings, increasing speculation about such a deal. But Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio hears from multiple sources that there's nothing to the idea, and that it's not something that's being discussed by the two teams. That tidbit comes from Amico's Thursday column, and he's back with another piece today, so let's take a look at the highlights:

Sonny Weems To Return Next Season

June 14th, 2012 at 6:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter), Sonny Weems plans to return to the NBA next season. The 6'6'' shooting guard will be a restricted free agent, and has drawn interest from the Celtics, Pistons, Cavaliers, and Clippers. He last played for the Raptors during the 2010-11 season before signing a one-year deal with Zalgiris Kaunas of the Euroleague during the NBA lockout.

Odds & Ends: Barkley, Wade, Allen, Pietrus, Shaw

June 13th, 2012 at 5:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Danny Ferry is considered the frontrunner to eventually replace Rod Thorn in the 76ers' front office, but he's not the only one interested in the position. According to 94WIP's Anthony Gargano (link via CBS Philly), Charles Barkley has interest in becoming the next Sixers GM. Like last month's story that briefly linked Shaquille O'Neal to the Magic's GM opening, I don't expect this one to have legs, but the fact that Barkley expressed interest in a front office job is worth tucking away, at the very least.

Here are a few more Wednesday afternoon odds and ends….

Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com hears that Dwyane Wade may sit out the Olympics. The Heat star was among those calling earlier this year for Olympians to be paid, but quickly backtracked on those comments.

Earlier updates:

Latest On Olshey Move, Clippers GM Search

June 8th, 2012 at 11:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers were offering former vice president of basketball operations Neil Olshey a one-year contract worth $750K when the Blazers countered with the three-year, $3.6MM offer to become their general manager, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The Blazers deal, which Olshey took last week, includes team options for two additional seasons. Olshey had been making $450K per year on a month-to-month deal with the Clippers since August.

GM Rumors: Pritchard, Magic, Penn, Clippers

June 8th, 2012 at 7:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier today we learned that Pacers president Larry Bird will meet with team owner Herb Simon next week, likely to finalize a deal that will keep the Executive of the Year in Indiana, setting up Kevin Pritchard's promotion to general manager and current GM David Morway's exit from the team. Since Pritchard and Morway have both been in the discussion for the Magic's GM opening, today's news has had an effect on more than one front office.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Nick Young

June 8th, 2012 at 5:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nick Young made an unusual decision in December, and this summer he’ll see if it pays off. Before the season, Young became just the 12th player ever to sign a qualifying offer, the minimum offer a team can make to retain the right of first refusal on a player coming off his rookie contract. Usually, the offer is just a starting point for negotiations, if that, but in Young’s case, the one-year, $3,695,857 deal on the table from the Wizards came in handy when the condensed post-lockout market limited his options.

None of the other players who signed qualifying offers wound up re-signing with their teams as unrestricted free agents the following summer. The Wizards got the jump on a divorce from Young, sending their leading scorer from 2010/11 to the Clippers in a three-team swap at the trade deadline this March. Young went from starter to reserve as a result, but it gave him the opportunity to show what he could do as a significant contributor to a playoff team. He displayed plenty of clutch shooting in the postseason, nailing 51.5% of his three-point attempts, including three in a row down in the fourth quarter of L.A.’s 27-point comeback in Game 1 against the Grizzlies.

Still, Young didn’t really prove anything we didn’t already know, aside from an ability to perform under pressure. He’s always been a solid three-point shooter, making 37.8% for his career, but his field goal percentage overall was a career-low 40.3% this past regular season, including 39.4% during his time with the Clippers. In the playoffs, he shot 35.3% on two-pointers. Those sort of numbers help explain why Young has never posted a single season with a PER of at least 15.0, the mark of an average player. He’s also a liability defensively, as he had one of the worst defensive ratings for his team in both the regular season and the playoffs this year, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Young’s unimpressive per-36-minute career highs of 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals demonstrate that if his long-range shots aren’t falling, there isn’t much he does to help his team on the floor.

For all his shortcomings, the 27-year-old Young is probably this year's most attractive unrestricted free agent shooting guard under the age of 35. That might change if the cash-strapped Grizzlies decide not to tender a qualifying offer to O.J. Mayo, but Young is likely in line for a raise and a multi-year deal. He reportedly sought $9MM per year from the Wizards in December, but I can’t see him approaching that figure. In the same report, Michael Lee of The Washington Post noted a that Young rejected an offer from the Wizards of around $5MM per year, so Young may be seeking to top that in order to justify his gamble on the qualifying offer.

The Timberwolves, Cavs and Suns are all teams that could be willing to reach for a shooting guard this summer, and the Clippers could use a solid two-guard as well. We heard last month that L.A. seemed interested in re-signing Young, but that was before GM Neil Olshey left to take the same job with Portland. The Blazers, who have $20.6MM and three years left on Wesley Matthews’ contract, don’t seem like candidates to provide a similar offer to Young, but if they miss out on some of their other targets and Young fails to find a team willing to overpay for him, it could be a Rose Garden reunion for Olshey and his last major acquisition for the Clippers.

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Clippers Notes: Olshey, Griffin, Odom

June 7th, 2012 at 6:07pm CST by Daniel Seco

With the departure of general manager Neil Olshey to the Trail Blazers, the Clippers' offseason has gotten off to a precipitous start with free agency looming. Before addressing the team's roster this summer, the Clippers will need to fill Olshey's role as the search has already gotten underway. The franchise hopes to build on major strides made this season after acquiring Chris Paul from the Hornets and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines out of the Staples Center…

Poll: Recent Coaching Decisions

June 5th, 2012 at 5:17pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Bobcats and Magic search for a new head coach, several other teams have decide to retain the ones that finished the 2011/12 season. Despite a class of potential coaches that includes Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Nate McMillan, Stan Van Gundy, Mike D'Antoni, Michael Malone, Brian Shaw, and more, the Clippers, Knicks, and Wizards elected not to interview other candidates before retaining their own guys. Was that the right decision?

Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Clippers

June 5th, 2012 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Guaranteed Contracts

Chris Paul ($17,779,458)
DeAndre Jordan ($10,532,977)
Caron Butler ($8,000,000)
Blake Griffin ($7,226,892)
Ryan Gomes ($4,000,000)
Eric Bledsoe ($1,707,720)
Trey Thompkins ($762,195)

Options

Mo Williams ($8,500,000, Player)

Non-Guaranteed Contracts

Travis Leslie ($762,195)

Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Randy Foye ($5,525,000)
Nick Young ($4,435,028)
Kenyon Martin ($3,000,000)
Chauncey Billups ($2,400,038)
Reggie Evans ($854,389)
Bobby Simmons ($854,389)

Draft Picks

2nd Round (53rd overall)

Cap Outlook

Guaranteed Salary: $50,009,242
Non-Guaranteed Salary (including options), Cap Holds: $26,331,039
Total (not including draft picks): $76,340,281

Coming off a season in which the team set a franchise record with a .606 winning percentage and reached the second round of the playoffs, it's hard for Clippers fans to be anything but pleased. Chris Paul gave the team a star point guard to pair with the up-and-coming Blake Griffin, who earned All-NBA honors for the first time in his second full season.

But as successful a season as 2011/12 was, the Clippers will need to be careful to ensure it was the first step on the road to contending perenially, rather than an aberration. With GM Neil Olshey heading to Portland, the Clips will be tasked with finding a worthy successor to guide the franchise through a number of tough roster decisions and contract negotiations in the coming year.

While the Clippers won't be forced to make an immediate decision on either Paul or Griffin, contract extensions for the two stars will be a top priority for the club. Griffin is entering the final year of his rookie contract, making him eligible for an extension this offseason. The Clips are reportedly confident about getting something done before the 23-year-old reaches restricted free agency, so you have to assume they're prepared to offer a maximum-salary contract, or something very close to it.

Paul, meanwhile, has committed to his 2012/13 player option, but will be eligible for unrestricted free agency a year from now. A new contract for him this summer may not be as likely as one for Griffin, given the rules surrounding veteran extensions. So it will be crucial for the Clippers to convince him to stay by showing they're committed to making the moves necessary to ensure the team is a contender for years to come.

With no first-round draft pick and limited cap flexibility this summer, however, what exactly can the Clippers do in terms of roster moves? The team has yet to take advantage of the amnesty clause, and while it could go unused, Ryan Gomes' $4MM 2012/13 salary makes him a candidate. If Mo Williams opts into the final year of his contract though, amnestying Gomes would only reduce the team's cap figure from about $58.5MM to $54.5MM, which wouldn't create any usable cap space.

If Williams opts out, the team will have more options at it disposal, but I have a hard time seeing the veteran guard declining his option. As much as Williams seems to desire long-term security, passing up an $8.5MM salary in 2012/13 in favor of a new contract that would significantly reduce his annual salary seems unlikely.

With Williams on their books, the Clippers will be over the cap and will have only the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions to use on free agents. The MLE could give them a chance to bid on a shooting guard such as Jamal Crawford, Ray Allen, or Jason Terry if they don't elect to re-sign Nick Young. The BAE, meanwhile, may not be significant enough to woo an impact player, but we've seen veterans willing to accept discounted deals to play in Los Angeles or New York before. With Paul and Griffin on board for at least another year, the Clippers have become that sort of destination team that free agents could target.

Although free agency seems like the Clippers' best bet at adding another rotation player, a trade is also a possibility. Eric Bledsoe represents the team's strongest and most likely trade chip, though the club has been reluctant to move him in the past. Perhaps if the Clips get the impression that Paul is a good bet to re-sign long-term, they would be more willing to shop Bledsoe, who figures to be the successor at the point if CP3 leaves L.A.

With two star players entering contract years, the Clippers will be faced with a number of challenging decisions within the next year or so. Those decisions will begin this summer, which means Los Angeles will have to move quickly to find a general manager capable of making the right moves. The Clips are in no danger yet of jeopardizing the long-term futures of Paul or Griffin in L.A., but the next few months will be crucial for a franchise that enjoyed its most successful season in 2011/12 and has no desire to backslide into mediocrity.

Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.

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