Robert Covington Rumors

Robert Covington Approaching 2023/24 Season With “Vendetta”

August 11th, 2023 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Robert Covington feels like he has a lot to prove to the Clippers after being kept out of the rotation for nearly all of last season, writes Law Murray of The Athletic.

The 32-year-old forward appeared in just 48 games and averaged 16.2 minutes per night, the lowest total since his rookie season. He doesn’t understand why he spent so much time on the bench, adding that he hasn’t talked to head coach Tyronn Lue since the playoffs ended.

L.A. was Covington’s fifth team in four years when the Clippers acquired him shortly before the 2022 trade deadline. He became the primary backup at power forward and believed the fit was so good that he didn’t test free agency, opting for a two-year extension with L.A. instead.

Covington had a regular role at the beginning of last season while starting center Ivica Zubac was injured. But after entering health and safety protocols at the end of October, Covington didn’t see consistent playing time again. He was expecting to be traded before the February deadline, Murray adds, but he remained on the roster, although he was stuck behind Marcus Morris and Nicolas Batum. Even when Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were sidelined with late-season injuries, Lue didn’t insert Covington back into the rotation.

“I got a vendetta. It’s a bigger chip on my shoulder,” Covington said of his approach to the upcoming season. “Not playing that much last year really put me in a place — all right. I got to force them. So, come back, do what I got to do. They say this is the mentality of, you know, come back strong, get better. That way, it won’t be none of that. Won’t be no issues of, whatever the case. … It’s the way the year went. It wasn’t how I expected, but I said it’s come back, go to the drawing board, and get better.”

Covington addresses a few other topics in his interview with Murray. Here are some highlights:

On getting ready to enter another season with an expiring contract:

“It ain’t no difference. Only difference is that I didn’t play last year. I mean, that’s the only difference. I approach every chance, every opportunity like that —it’s no different. So my mentality don’t shift, I don’t get discouraged or anything. I got to do what I do. And I do what I do best. So I’m never going to stray away. Never going to stray away from anything of that nature. I am going to be who I am, and that’s just what it is.”

On whether there was anything to learn from spending so much time on the bench:

“I didn’t take nothing from last year. Last year didn’t go how I expected, so I didn’t take nothing from it. I just wash it away and start over, a new year. That’s just my mentality of it. … It’s nothing that could be talked about. I mean, I really haven’t had much feedback besides, you know, what I’ve been doing now. I haven’t talked about last year. I’ve put that behind me and focused on right now and moving forward. That’s what it’s all about. Can’t dwell on what happened last year, whatever the case may be. It happened. So I’m just gonna wash, move forward.”

On his early impressions of offseason additions Kenyon Martin Jr., Jordan Miller and Kobe Brown, along with other workout partners such as Bones Hyland and Brandon Boston Jr.:

“Those guys are going to be special. I like Jordan’s tenacity, his pressure on defense, I like his cutting off ball. I like the plays and reads he made. The other guys came up here and played really well. You know, BB is starting to get better. Bones is getting better. KJ is athletic as hell. He’s gotten so much better. It is great to sit up here and see them dudes sit up here and prosper.”

L.A. Notes: Batum, Morris, Powell, D-Lo, Lakers, Schröder

March 28th, 2023 at 9:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Nicolas Batum is replacing Marcus Morris as the Clippers‘ starting forward and will stay in the role for the rest of the season, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters, including Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.

“It was nothing that Marcus did wrong, just trying something different,” Lue said. “And when you’re not playing well, you want to try something different, and Marcus was all for it. We have to sacrifice if we want to win at a high level.”

As Greif writes, there’s less clarity about who will back up Batum. Morris and Robert Covington are the two primary options, and Lue was noncommittal on which player might have the edge. At least for the immediate future, Covington should receive playing time, as Morris has entered the league’s health and safety protocols and has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game in Memphis (Twitter link via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk).

Here’s more on the two Los Angeles-based teams:

Clippers guard Norman Powell, who is questionable for Wednesday’s contest after missing the past 11 games with a left shoulder subluxation, will be reinserted into the rotation once he returns, Greif writes in the same piece. “We need him back. We need his juice. We need his scoring,” Lue said of Powell.
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (hip) and big man Anthony Davis (foot) are probable to play in Wednesday’s game at Chicago, tweets Mark Medina of NBA.com. Forward LeBron James (foot) is questionable. Russell missed the past two games with his injury, while James just returned Sunday after a 13-game absence.
Guard Dennis Schröder, who is playing on a veteran’s minimum contract in his second stint with the Lakers, has provided a valuable spark all season long, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “It’s a lot of energy, man. He plays with such a good passion. He’s energetic,” Davis said. “That’s how he plays, he’s scrappy and he saves a fastbreak, comes back down and draws a foul. He’s kind of another spark. Got the crowd into it. But that’s Dennis. That’s how he plays. … He’s leaving it all on the floor. Everyone is. I mean, the position that we’re in, you got to be able to leave it all on the floor, give 110%. And he’s giving like 150. He’s leaving it all on the floor, laying everything out on the line for us to get a win. And it’s contagious.”
Mirjam Swanson of the Southern California News Group is skeptical the Clippers and Lakers can make deep playoff runs in the West, noting that injuries have played a role in the two teams’ inconsistency. She believes the Nuggets, Grizzlies and even the Kings should be favored over the two L.A. teams due to their continuity.

Pacific Notes: Covington, Zubac, Westbrook, Durant, Curry

March 6th, 2023 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Robert Covington has played sparingly the last six weeks and the Clippers forward believes he can be a defensive force if he gets back in the rotation, he told Law Murray of The Athletic.

“I bring a different thing to this team,” said Covington, who is signed through next season with the Clippers. “And it’s one of the things, one of the reasons why they brought me here. It’s being that disruptor on it. Being a disruptor off the ball. Seeing things and reading it right. Watching plays really develop, and just getting a knack for getting my hands on the basketball. Creating an opportunity for us on the defensive side and creating transition plays. And getting out and running.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Clippers center Ivica Zubac has been pleasantly surprised by what Russell Westbrook has brought to the team since Westbrook cleared waivers and signed as a free agent, Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points tweets. “Honestly, it’s way better than I thought it would be,” Zubac said. “He’s a great leader also, he’s very vocal, something we needed… He has a great attitude, always smiling, laughing, being very positive.”
The Suns have a renewed spirit since Kevin Durant joined the lineup, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. The Suns are 3-0 with Durant in uniform and Phoenix once again has the look of a true contender. “Even in the postgame, a lot of people are saying we feel fresh. We play team basketball,” Devin Booker said.
The Warriors had a five-game winning streak halted by the Lakers on Sunday. Stephen Curry returned from a leg injury that sidelined him for 11 games and he knows their season could go in many different directions. “It’s weird to say, we’re still trying to win championships but we’re trying to avoid the play-in,” he said, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “Both can be true. … Until we get beat, we still feel we’re a tough matchup for anybody. That is the confidence we’ve got to have down the stretch.”

Clippers Rumors: Mann, Lowry, VanVleet, Hartenstein, Covington, Kawhi

January 24th, 2023 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

As the Clippers explore the trade market for potential backcourt or frontcourt upgrades, they continue to rebuff inquiries on fourth-year guard Terance Mann, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack story.

Entering the season, the decision on the Clippers’ starting point guard came down to Reggie Jackson vs. John Wall, but with Jackson’s role cut back and Wall injured, it’s Mann who has started the club’s last nine games at point guard.

One team source who spoke to Law Murray of The Athletic suggested that there’s a belief Mann could be the Clippers’ starting point guard beyond this season. However, it’s unclear how enthusiastic head coach Tyronn Lue is about using Mann in that role. As Murray explains, Lue views Mann as more of a small forward and barely used him in some first-half games. The Clippers’ coach also likes having a more traditional point guard in his rotation, Murray adds.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

In an article focused on the Clippers’ need to upgrade their roster, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer identifies Heat point guard Kyle Lowry, Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, and Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein as some of the players L.A. has interest in. Lowry and VanVleet won a championship with Kawhi Leonard, while Hartenstein had the best season of his NBA career a year ago with the Clips.
According to Murray, there’s a sense that Lue would like to replace Robert Covington with a more reliable center, while the front office would like the team to find a way to make a “long lineup” (which includes Covington) work. Murray suggests the trade deadline may represent a “demarcation point” between Lue and the front office on Covington’s future in Los Angeles.
While this should come as no surprise, a team source confirms to Murray that the Clippers haven’t given any consideration to trading Leonard.
Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com explores whether or not the frequent absences of Leonard and Paul George from the Clippers’ lineup has created a sense of frustration within the organization due to the club’s inability to establish any chemistry or consistency.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Green, AD, Lakers, Clippers

November 24th, 2022 at 8:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Chris Mannix and Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated debate how long the Warriors should hold onto their young talent. Both writers believe that former lottery picks James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have the potential to be quality players down the road, but none are contributing much right now, and the bench has been a disaster after letting several players walk in free agency.

Mannix and Beck are confident that Jordan Poole will turn things around after a slow start, but if the bench continues to struggle into 2023, they’d start seriously considering making changes. SI’s duo believe the front office owes it to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson to maximize their chances of winning another title.

Here are a few more notes from the Pacific:

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently made an adjustment to the rotation that seems to have stabilized the non-Curry minutes, with Green and Andrew Wiggins playing alongside three reserves in Poole, Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Lamb. Anthony Slater of The Athletic examines the potential impact of the switch. “What am I doing?” Green said. “Number one, just trying to slow the unit down. That unit should not play as fast as the first unit. It should be more methodical. It should be more sets. It should be more patterned movements as opposed to random movements and random offense. I think, for me, it’s just trying to slow that unit down and then, number two, most importantly, make sure that unit is defending.”
Anthony Davis has been absolutely dominant for the Lakers over the past four games, averaging 35.5 PPG, 18.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.3 SPG and 2.5 BPG while shooting 62.3% from the floor and 92.0% from the charity stripe. Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group wonders if Davis’ stellar two-way play will make the front office more willing to deal away the team’s two available future first-round picks (2027 and 2029) to build around the 29-year-old, since Goon thinks that’s a more compelling reason to go all-in when compared to giving LeBron James the best chance to reach the playoffs at the end of his career.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is preaching patience to reserves John Wall and Robert Covington, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Wall has been frustrated by having to sit out back-to-backs because he feels fully healthy, but Lue noted that the veteran sat out all of last season, so the team is being cautious. As for Covington, he’s averaging his fewest minutes (13.8) since his rookie season back in ’13/14. “It’s a long season and we have so much talent and so much depth that I know it’s going to be times when people going to play and some people not,” Covington said. “I knew what was coming and knew what to expect at times. I’m not the type of person that’s going to complain about too much, I’m going to sit up there and call and be there ready when my number’s called.”
Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and Paul George (hamstring) have been ruled out for Friday’s contest against the Nuggets, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. There’s no timetable for either player to return.

Clippers Notes: George, Leonard, Popovich, Covington

November 20th, 2022 at 9:47am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers aren’t worried about Paul George, who sat out the second half of Saturday’s game because of soreness in his right knee, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. George didn’t speak to the media after the game, but coach Tyronn Lue said the condition isn’t believed to be serious. George spent the second half on the bench and felt good enough to help throw T-shirts to fans during a break in the action.

“He’s doing OK,” Lue said. “I haven’t seen what they (the medical staff) said happened to him, but I just know he had like a little tweak. But he says he is OK.”

Injuries have played a role in the team’s slow start, but George has been reliable so far, missing just one game because of a non-COVID illness. He was limited to 31 games last season due to a torn UCL in his right elbow.

There’s more on the Clippers:

Kawhi Leonard embraced Spurs coach Gregg Popovich after Saturday’s game, indicating that any hard feelings are gone from Leonard’s bitter exit from San Antonio, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Leonard has never spoken much about what happened with the Spurs, but he told reporters Saturday that his time with Popovich helped him to improve. “He meant a lot, he’s the reason why I’m the player I am today,” Leonard said. “Built that foundation on showing me winning basketball and yeah, he’s a great coach. Still one of the best coaches I had. We been in too many battles to have a scar on our relationship.”
The Clippers were happy to welcome Leonard back to the lineup this week, but that meant many adjustments had to be made, Greif adds in a separate story. With Leonard and George able to carry the offense, other players are adapting to complementary roles. Nicolas Batum said the “rhythm is different, the passing is different, the players are different because two years ago we literally had two guys who could create open shots, when you have PG and Kawhi.”
Lue said he told Robert Covington “thank you for sacrificing” as the veteran forward has played single-digit minutes in four of his last five appearances, Greif tweets. Lue added that Covington will eventually see more playing time, but the team is trying to establish a rhythm with its current rotation.

Clippers Notes: Lue, Leonard, George, Covington

October 29th, 2022 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers are under .500 after three straight losses, but coach Tyronn Lue won’t entertain any thoughts of panic, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “Sky is not falling, or nothing like that,” Lue told reporters before today’s practice.

L.A. has one of the most talented rosters in the league and is considered among the favorites to win the Western Conference. Injuries have factored into the slow start, but Lue’s emphasis is on doing basic things correctly, regardless of who’s on the court.

“My message is just play the right way, create good habits,” he said. “You are not going to win every game, but we got to play better and we understand that. But my biggest thing is just creating good habits. If we do it on both sides of the basketball, we will be fine.”

The Clippers are coming off consecutive losses to the rebuilding Thunder, which is concerning in what could be a tight race for the top spot in the West. However, the players understand there are a lot of games left to turn things around.

“Obviously, we want to win and every game is important for us,” Luke Kennard said. “We want to be a high seed in the West at the end of the regular season. So, I think if we have that sense of urgency right now, taking it one game at a time, it’s going to help us with that. But at the same time, like I said, with guys kind of being in and out, you still have to be patient and just trust in what we’re doing and what we’re kind of building here.”

There’s more on the Clippers:

Kawhi Leonard will sit out his third straight game Sunday as part of injury management for his surgically repaired right knee, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Leonard felt stiffness in the knee during the morning shootaround before Tuesday’s game at Oklahoma City. He returned to L.A. for treatment and didn’t play on Thursday. Sunday’s game will be the first of a back-to-back, and Leonard has said he probably won’t play both games in those situations.
Paul George admits his “window is shrinking” to be an NBA champion, so he’s determined to make the most of this opportunity, Youngmisuk adds in a separate story. “I’m more focused than I ever been,” said George, who’s in his 13th NBA season. “You talk about locked in, I am locked into this year. I mean that’s what you’re going to get, a leader and just whatever it takes. That’s always been my attitude and the spirit I carry. I’m prepared and understand what the assignment is this year. Winning it all.”
Robert Covington has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will miss Sunday’s game, Turner tweets.

Pacific Notes: Covington, Sarver, Kings, Lakers

September 14th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Robert Covington prioritized a chance to win a title over maximizing his salary when he agreed to a two-year, $24MM extension with the Clippers in May, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Covington might have been able to earn more on the open market, but he feels wanted in L.A. and likes the talent that’s surrounding him.

“I talked with my agent and he kind of picked my brain on everything on what I wanted to do and I basically told him that at this point in my career I want to win,” Covington explained. “I’ve had a big contract, but I wanted to be in a position where I can win and I can really contribute to a contending team. We’ve seen what we had here and everybody, even the team talked about, ‘We want you back, want you back,’ players, everybody talked about next year. Just the consistency and the commitment that even after my last day there everybody still was preaching me coming back and I took that into account. Everyone expressed how much they wanted me to come back.”

The expected return of Kawhi Leonard, who missed all of last season due to injury, and the addition of free agent guard John Wall give the Clippers possibly the most talent in the Western Conference. Their depth also makes it difficult to identify who will get consistent playing time, but Covington believes that will work itself out.

“I know what they brought me here for,” he said. “They brought me here to knock down shots, defend, make the game easy, disrupt as much as I can, that’s why they brought me back.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Suns‘ media day will be an important event to watch in the wake of the Robert Sarver suspension, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. General manager James Jones, head coach Monty Williams and all the players can set the tone for how much the incident will impact the season by how they respond on September 26. Chris Paul has already criticized Sarver’s actions on social media.
James Ham of The Kings Beat examines the Kings‘ options at small forward heading into training camp. Harrison Barnes will likely see most of the minutes, though his expiring contract makes him a trade candidate. Ham doesn’t expect newcomers Kent Bazemore, KZ Okpala and Chima Moneke to all make the roster.
The Lakers are engaged in ongoing trade talks with the Jazz, but the teams don’t appear to be close to a deal, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. L.A. has expressed interest in acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic.

Clippers Sign Robert Covington To Two-Year Extension

May 8th, 2022 at 1:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MAY 8: The Clippers have confirmed that they will have extended Covington on a two-year deal, per a team announcement (Twitter link). Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

MAY 5: The Clippers and forward Robert Covington have reached a two-year, $24MM contract extension agreement, agent Andrew Morrison of CAA Basketball told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Covington was headed to unrestricted free agency this summer, but has opted to stay put rather than testing the market.

Because he was traded less than six months ago, Covington was ineligible to sign an extension longer than two years or worth more than $27.9MM prior to the start of free agency in July. His new deal fits within both of those limits.

Covington was acquired along with Norman Powell from the Trail Blazers in early February in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, rookie Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick.

The Clippers were without superstar Kawhi Leonard all season and went a good chunk of the season without their other star, Paul George. Covington could play a key defensive role with the high-scoring duo back in the lineup.

In 23 games with the Clippers, Covington averaged 10.4 PPG on 50% shooting, including 45% on 3-point attempts. He had a career-high 43 points on a franchise-record 11 3-pointers against the Bucks on April 1.

Covington stated after L.A.’s play-in tournament loss to New Orleans that he was excited about the possibility of re-signing with the Clippers.

“The way that we played tonight when we went small, imagine PG and Kawhi in that lineup,” he said. “That’s a lot of versatility … Once them guys come back next year, if I’m here, I’m really looking forward to that.”

Clippers executive Lawrence Frank recently expressed interest in retaining Covington: “RoCo was very, very good for us. I’m excited to hear that he likes it here. We look forward and we’d like to be able to keep him here.”

Covington, 31, has played for Houston, Philadelphia and Minnesota as well as Portland and the Clippers.

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Wiseman, CP3, Johnson, Covington

May 6th, 2022 at 10:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he and the team’s training staff feel good about Klay Thompson‘s health status, and that fatigue isn’t a factor in Thompson’s shooting slump, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link). Thompson has shot 11-for-38 from the field in the first two games against Memphis, including 5-of-22 from deep and 0-of-2 from the line, but he did hit a crucial go-ahead three-pointer late in Game 1.

Kerr also said that no matter how far the Warriors advance in the playoffs, they won’t consider playing James Wiseman, who was ruled out for the season at the end of March (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape). Wiseman had a couple of knee surgeries over the past 13 months and experienced some setbacks in his rehab.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

John Hollinger of The Athletic details how Suns star Chris Paul has been dominating the playoffs. Paul, who turned 37 today, is averaging ridiculous numbers through eight games: 22.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.9 assists (against 1.6 turnovers) and 1.6 steals on .580/.333/.970 shooting. He’s shooting 67.4% on twos. That is not a typo. Paul’s been arguably the best player in the postseason to this point, says Hollinger. (Side note: Paul has seven turnovers in the first half of Game 3 against the Mavericks, which is in progress. That figure represents a career-high for a half, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. The Suns currently trail 51-44.)
Suns head coach Monty Williams has been working with Cameron Johnson on his post play recently, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “Just teaching him how to use his strength a little bit,” Williams said. “He’s got some tools down there. Just talking to him about balance and footwork and stuff like that.” Johnson is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. He was a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award, which went to Tyler Herro.
Robert Covington‘s newly-inked two-year, $24MM extension with the Clippers is fully guaranteed, with no option in the second year, reports Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).