Clippers Sign Willie Reed

August 3: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

July 18: The Clippers have reached an agreement with free agent center Willie Reed, reports Chris Haynes of ESPN. According to Haynes, Reed will sign a one-year, $1.5MM contract, which suggests it’s a minimum salary deal.Willie Reed vertical

[RELATED: 2017 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

Reed, 27, enjoyed a modest breakout season for the Heat in 2016/17, averaging 5.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 71 games for the club. The Missouri native played just 14.5 minutes per contest, but made his limited playing time count, chipping in 0.7 BPG and a .568 FG% as well. Miami’s defensive efficiency numbers were also a few points better with Reed on the court.

It has been an active offseason so far for the Clippers, who lost Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, and other veterans, but added Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Danilo Gallinari, Milos Teodosic, Sam Dekker, and Montrezl Harrell. That list of incoming names didn’t include a true center, so the Clippers had remained on the lookout for a backup for DeAndre Jordan, and did well to land Reed, one of the more notable centers left on the market.

The Clippers have a small portion of their mid-level exception left, but as our minimum salary breakdown shows, a player with Reed’s experience is eligible for a minimum of $1,577,230, so the club shouldn’t need to dip into its MLE to sign the big man.

Reed previously drew some interest from the Hawks, Heat, Sixers, Pacers, and Rockets, according to various reports. Haynes adds that the Warriors also had interest in Reed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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