2:43pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
11:05am: The Clippers plan to sign Jordan Hamilton to a 10-day contract today, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The fourth-year NBA veteran has been playing for Sacramento’s D-League affiliate, as Wojnarowski notes. He’s poised to go into one of the two open roster spots the Clips have.
Hamilton joined the D-League in November, shortly after the Jazz waived him and brought an end to a stint that lasted barely more than a week. Utah had claimed Hamilton off waivers just before opening night after the Raptors let him go following the spirited battle he put up for the roster spot that ultimately went to Greg Stiemsma. He was one of several players to work out for the Lakers earlier this season. The former 26th overall pick, who’s spent most of his NBA career with the Nuggets, initially played with the affiliate of the Grizzlies after signing with the D-League, but that club traded him to the Kings affiliate in December. Not surprisingly, his numbers have been more impressive since the swap that sent him to the up-tempo Reno Bighorns, as he’s averaged 18.1 points and 7.6 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers has been targeting players who’ve gone through buyouts, but the team has come up empty in that market so far. Would-be target Tayshaun Prince ended up in a trade instead of a buyout deal, and Kendrick Perkins spurned the Clips in favor of the Cavs. The Clippers also tried to insert themselves in the running for Amar’e Stoudemire, but the Mavs quickly established themselves as front-runners before ultimately signing him.