3:11pm: Robinson’s knee, a factor when the Clippers didn’t re-sign him earlier, is better, but it still isn’t 100%, tweets Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
FRIDAY, 1:31pm: The team will fill its open roster spot before season’s end, Rivers said, and the move is likely to take place this weekend, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Robinson and Hudson are both in the running to re-sign, Markazi adds (Twitter links).
MONDAY, 3:37pm: The Clippers and Nate Robinson plan to talk this week about a deal that would cover the rest of the season and the playoffs, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The sore left knee that kept the Clippers from inking him right after his second 10-day contract with the team expired last month has healed, Charania hears. The team signed Lester Hudson into its lone open roster spot while Robinson was hurt, but Hudson’s 10-day deal is up after Tuesday.
The decision regarding whether to give that roster spot to Robinson or Hudson for the playoffs has been dependent in part on Hudson’s performance, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com suggested, but coach/executive Doc Rivers was complimentary of Robinson. Hudson, who had been out of the NBA since 2012 before he inked his 10-day contract, has seven points on 2 for 8 shooting with two assists and two turnovers in 34 total minutes across three games. Robinson averaged 5.1 points, 2.2 assists and 0.9 turnovers in 14.0 minutes per game during his nine contests with the Clips. Both played for Rivers when he was the coach of the Celtics.
The Clips are in less need of backcourt help now that Jamal Crawford is probable for Tuesday’s game, just a few weeks after Rivers expressed worry that he would be out for the season. Still, it seems likely the club will give the roster spot to someone just in case for the playoffs, since a prorated minimum salary deal for the balance of the season would cost the team less than $50K if it’s signed after Hudson’s 10-day deal expires.