TUESDAY 10:28pm: The Clippers have officially announced the Jackson signing via press release. Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles tweets that Jackson will be with the team in Boston tomorrow.
MONDAY 5:00pm: Jackson still hasn’t signed his contract, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, but the Clippers hope to make the move official tomorrow (Twitter links).
3:43pm: Jackson’s deal is expected to be non-guaranteed, and it wouldn’t affect the team’s pursuit of Odom, Amick says via Twitter.
3:13pm: Jackson has signed a deal with the Clippers, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Presumably, it’s a non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary. The team has yet to confirm the signing.
2:19pm: A deal between Jackson and the Clippers is “very close” but not done yet, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets. Last night, Jackson tweeted, “I never lost faith. The wait is over.”
8:30am: Veteran swingman Stephen Jackson is a “prime candidate” to fill the Clippers’ open roster spot, according to Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. Coach and senior vice president of basketball operations Doc Rivers said this weekend that he believes mounting injuries will force the team to add a player. A Jackson signing could happen as early as this week, Stein and Shelburne write.
Jackson has been working out independently in Texas will the goal of latching on with a contender, and the Clippers would fit that bill. The 35-year-old didn’t attend training camp with an NBA team, having last played with the Spurs before San Antonio surprisingly released him just before last season’s playoffs. Jackson had asked for a trade and was reluctant to accept a reduced role. He changed agents last month, hooking on with the Interperformances firm.
Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com mentioned Shannon Brown as a potential Clippers target this weekend, though much of the team’s focus in recent weeks has been on Lamar Odom. The team’s preference had been to wait until after Christmas to sign Odom, Stein and Shelburne say, since he might not be ready to play until mid-January, but it’s unclear how the Clippers’ plans regarding Odom have changed in the wake of all of their injuries. J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes and Reggie Bullock are among those on the team missing significant time.
The Clippers have a 14-man roster, meaning there’s only room for one more player. They could sign someone to a non-guaranteed contract and release him prior to the leaguewide guarantee date on January 10th to make room for Odom. All of the 14 players currently on the team have fully guaranteed contracts, and while the Clippers could still cut one of those guys, the team probably wants to avoid paying someone who would no longer be around. That’s especially so since the Clippers are a projected taxpayer.