Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: George, Kings, Wiggins, Lakers

October 3rd, 2021 at 9:15am CST by Arthur Hill

Paul George will see an increased workload this year, but it may not start with Monday’s preseason opener, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. As George enters the first year of his contract extension, the Clippers will count on him to provide more scoring, defense and leadership with Kawhi Leonard possibly out for the season. However, coach Tyronn Lue hasn’t decided who will play in the first preseason game, saying he wants to talk to “a couple of our guys and just kind of see how they feel.”

George, who dealt with a bruised bone in his right foot during the second half of last season, pronounced himself “pretty healthy” at Saturday’s practice. He told reporters that he took “a lot of time” away from basketball during the summer in anticipation of his increased workload.

George has also become more of a team leader, working out with several teammates during the offseason.

“I’ve grown in that area, just from the standpoint of being a little more vocal, and just wanting to be involved, wanting to put things together,” George said. “I definitely see myself growing in that area. But, again, all of it really came down to it just being organic. Fact of the matter, I like missed being around this group.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Kings coach Luke Walton is reviewing his options for a starting lineup ahead of his team’s preseason opener Monday, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Richaun Holmes and Harrison Barnes appear set, according to Anderson, so Walton’s decision will likely come down to whether he wants to start Buddy Hield in a three-guard approach or Marvin Bagley III in a more traditional set. Walton’s options stem from Barnes’ ability to handle either forward position. “There are definitely scenarios where (Barnes) could start at the 3 or the 4,” Walton said. “He’s one of those players that has the ability to do both of those things. He’s a matchup nightmare when he’s at the 4 and him and De’Aaron are able to play that 1-4 pick-and-roll, peel-out game, and he’s strong enough to guard a lot of 4s, so that’s definitely a possibility.”
Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle examines whether Andrew Wiggins‘ vaccine decision could derail the Warriors‘ hopes of being title contenders. Wiggins missed Saturday’s practice with an undisclosed illness, and coach Steve Kerr said there was nothing new to report on his vaccination status.
Former WNBA player Shay Murphy has joined the Lakers as a coaching associate, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Pacific Notes: Mann, Leonard, McGee, Thompson

October 2nd, 2021 at 2:33pm CST by JD Shaw

Clippers guard Terance Mann is seeking more growth in his role with the team this season, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. Mann is entering his third NBA season, coming off a campaign where he averaged seven points and 18.9 minutes in 67 games.

“Just watching him play the last few weeks, the maturity that he brings to the table, the hard work that he brings to the table, how he has improved his shot,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “So, he’s been putting the work in, and it’s paid off. So, we’ve just got to let him continue keep developing.”

Los Angeles will need production from the 24-year-old this season with Kawhi Leonard still rehabbing a partially torn ACL. The Clippers drafted Mann, a Florida State product, No. 48 overall back in 2019.

Here are some other notes from the Pacific Division:

Speaking of Leonard, the two-time NBA champion is ahead of schedule in his rehab, Farbod Esnaashari of Sports Illustrated reports. Leonard underwent surgery in July to repair the injury, but no concrete timetable has been offered by the Clippers. He was averaging 30.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game in the postseason before getting injured.
Suns center JaVale McGee brings valued championship experience to a team that reached the NBA Finals last season, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. “To me, he’s a breath of fresh air,” head coach Monty Williams said. “He’s just a good dude and I’ve told him that. I think he had some assumptions about me. So I think his first couple of days, he was trying to do what he thought would allow for him to fit in with me and I had to tell him like, hey man, we don’t do that. Be yourself. We’re just about respect.”
Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee examines what Tristan Thompson could bring to the Kings this season. Thompson, a 10-year NBA veteran, was acquired by Sacramento in a three-team trade this past summer.

Patrick Beverley, Clippers Couldn't Agree On Extension

October 1st, 2021 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

New Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley said on Thursday that when he and the Clippers couldn’t agree on an extension this summer, the team asked him where else he might like to play and he put Minnesota “in my top three, my top two I believe” (link via Chris Hine of The Star Tribune). While it’s a little hard to believe Beverley was so bullish on the idea of joining a small-market team that has made the postseason just once since 2004, he expressed enthusiasm this week about being a mentor to the Wolves’ young guards and bringing some “intensity” to the team.

Clippers Notes: Bledsoe, Winslow, Vaccinations, Drame

September 30th, 2021 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

Eric Bledsoe hasn’t played for the Clippers since 2013, but the team is optimistic that the point guard will fit right back into Los Angeles’ rotation in 2021/22, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Head coach Tyronn Lue said on Tuesday that he expects Bledsoe to be part of L.A.’s starting lineup alongside Paul George, Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, and Ivica Zubac.

The last time Bledsoe was a Clipper, he was an up-and-comer who was stuck behind Chris Paul on the depth chart and was trying to prove he earned more playing time. He’ll have a larger role this time around, but the 11-year veteran told reporters he’s prepared to do whatever the club asks of him.

“I’m coming in as a veteran player now in a different role … just help the team out the best way I can,” Bledsoe said. “Whether guarding the best player one night, spot up next night, get downhill, whatever the case is, cheering my teammates on. So whatever the case may be, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Both Lue and Jackson spoke this week about how they envision the Clippers benefiting from Bledsoe’s ability to put pressure on the defense and attack the paint.

“He’s gonna be a big boost for us,” Lue said. “I think he’ll be able to push that pace and push that tempo, and get guys easy shots. That’s what we have to do in transition.”

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Bobby Marks of ESPN provides a minor update on Bledsoe’s contract, tweeting that the veteran guard and the Clippers agreed to push back his salary guarantee date for 2022/23. Bledsoe currently has a partial guarantee of $3.9MM on his $19.4MM salary for next season — his salary will now become fully guaranteed four days after the July moratorium instead of on June 30, creating some additional offseason flexibility for the franchise.
Health issues have limited Justise Winslow to just 37 total games over the last two seasons, but the new Clippers forward said on Tuesday that he has felt fully healthy for the last two or three months, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Winslow added that he wouldn’t wish his hip injury on anyone.
Lue said on Wednesday that all the players on the Clippers’ roster are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (video link via Greif).
The Clippers are mourning the death of Assane Drame, who joined the team in 2019 as a video intern and had since become a video assistant in the team’s digital content group. Drame died in a car accident on Monday night after working hours earlier at the team’s Media Day, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. We at Hoops Rumors send our condolences to Drame’s family and friends.

Southeast Notes: Westbrook, Wizards, Rozier, Collins, Bamba

September 29th, 2021 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing a report that said Russell Westbrook helped engineer his trade to the Lakers, Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard downplayed Westbrook’s desire to leave Washington, suggesting the point guard asked about going to the Lakers, but didn’t want to be traded just anywhere.

“I really have to make sure the record is straight on that,” Sheppard told NBC Sports Washington’s Chris Miller (link via Matt Weyirch of NBC Sports Washington). “Russell actually never asked to move on. He just said, ‘If I can get to the Lakers, that’d be something I would love to do. If not, I’ll be back here.’ I said, ‘What about the Clippers?’ He said, ‘Hell no.’ So Russell was happy being here and we were very grateful for him being here.”

While Sheppard is being diplomatic, it would’ve been interesting to see whether Westbrook was truly happy to return to the Wizards for another season if the deal with the Lakers hadn’t worked out. The Athletic’s in-depth report earlier this week suggested that Westbrook tried to convince Bradley Beal early in the offseason that both of them should ask out of Washington.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Two years after joining the Hornets as a free agent, Terry Rozier signed a new long-term extension with the team this offseason and said on Tuesday that he feels like he’s found a home in Charlotte. “When you first get here, you just don’t know what to expect,” Rozier said, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “You are on the back-burner trying to find everything out, and then fast forward to now and I love it. I love it. It’s so peaceful. The people are so nice. I say that all the time. It’s different for me and I love it.”
Armed with a new five-year, $125MM contract, Hawks forward John Collins is looking forward to focusing exclusively on his on-court performance without having worry about his contract situation, per Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I don’t have to think about getting traded. I don’t have to think about losing what I built, and I don’t have to think about packing my house up,” Collins said. “… I know I’m going to be here, and I can continue to build. I’m just happy I get to finish, or try to finish, what I started.”
Magic center Mohamed Bamba has struggled to make a consistent impact since entering the NBA in 2018, but he views the arrival of new head coach Jamahl Mosley as an opportunity for a fresh start, writes Julia Poe of The Orlando Sentinel. Mosley wants to see Bamba make better reads on offense and be an anchor on the defensive end.

Clippers Notes: Ibaka, Zubac, Leonard, George

September 27th, 2021 at 6:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Clippers big man Serge Ibaka, whose 2020/21 season was sidetracked by a back injury, says he’s close to 100% heading into camp, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets. The next step for Ibaka will be to participate in contact practices. His season-ending surgery in June cleaned up a disc, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Ibaka, who regrets not getting the surgery sooner, still has no timetable for his return to action.

We have more on the Clippers:

Ivica Zubac, who was slowed by a right knee MCL sprain during the Western Conference Finals, says he’s felt 100% for about six weeks heading into camp, Greif tweets. The team holds a $7.52MM option on his contract for next season.
Kawhi Leonard could have signed a two-year, $80.6MM contract with a player option rather than the four-year, $176.3MM deal with a player option he accepted. Leonard said he chose the longer deal in part because he hopes to return from his knee injury before season’s end, according to Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register. “One thing, I wanted to secure some money,” he said. “And I wanted to be able to come back if I was able to this year. If I would have took the one-and-one, I probably would have not played just to be cautious and opted out and took a five-year.” Leonard added that he doesn’t expect to change teams unless “something drastic” happens, so he was comfortable locking in a long-term contract.
With Leonard out of action, Paul George vows to be the team’s leader, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. “I’m looking forward to taking on all facets, whether it’s scoring, defending, playmaking. I’m looking forward to taking on the whole facet of the game,” George said. “I’m really going into this year as this being one of my most complete seasons as far as doing a little bit of everything. I think I proved it and showed i to myself during the playoffs in that run, that stretch against Phoenix, whether it was rebounding, pushing the tempo, playmaking, scoring the ball. That really just fed my appetite even more.”

Clippers Re-Sign Amir Coffey To Two-Way Contract

September 27th, 2021 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 27: Coffey’s deal is now official, the Clippers confirmed in a press release announcing their 20-man training camp roster.

SEPTEMBER 24: The Clippers are re-signing free agent wing Amir Coffey to another two-way contract, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told reporters today (Twitter link via Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times).

Coffey, who was the last remaining restricted free agent on the market, received a qualifying offer from the Clips back in July to make him a restricted free agent, so his options were limited. He’ll likely get a little guaranteed money on his new two-way deal, and Frank suggested he’ll also get a chance to compete for the 15th spot on Los Angeles’ regular season roster.

Coffey, 24, has spent the last two seasons on a two-way contract with the Clippers, averaging 3.2 PPG and 1.0 RPG on .433/.387/.673 shooting in 62 total games (8.9 MPG). He appeared in 44 regular season games and another 10 playoff contests in 2020/21.

The Clippers will now have a full 20-man roster for training camp, with 14 players on guaranteed contracts, four on non-guaranteed deals, and Coffey and Jay Scrubb on two-way contracts.

Given how far the team is over the tax line, I wouldn’t be surprised if L.A. only carries 14 players on its standard roster to start the season. Even if the club opts for a 15th man, Coffey may be hard-pressed to beat out camp invitees like Harry Giles and Isaiah Hartenstein, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he simply remains in the two-way slot to start the year.

Pacific Notes: Moody, Booker, Jack, Phillips

September 26th, 2021 at 2:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rookie Warriors shooting guard Moses Moody, chosen with the No. 14 pick out of Arkansas in the NBA draft this summer, is optimistic heading into his first NBA season, writes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 6’6″ wing was highly coveted by Golden State, who even considered drafting him with the seventh pick before ultimately selecting Jonathan Kuminga.

“I want to establish the foundation for my career, and I feel like I will be able to do that with this coaching staff and these players,” the 19-year-old Moody said of how he intends to develop with the Warriors.

Moody is a solid defender with an elite 7’1″ wingspan. He averaged 16.3 PPG, including 37% shooting from long range, during his four games in the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League. Simmons observes that, until Klay Thompson‘s anticipated return from an Achilles tear a couple months into the season, there will be something of a competition for the Warriors’ starting shooting guard position, and Moody will certainly make his case for consideration.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Suns All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker has entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols and will miss part of the team’s upcoming training camp for the 2021/22 season, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. It is unclear whether or not Booker himself has tested positive for the novel coronavirus or has been determined to have been exposed via contact tracing.
New Suns assistant coach Jarrett Jack had intended to continue his career as a player before he was summoned to the Phoenix bench, he indicated in an interview with Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. The former NBA point guard had most recently served as a veteran leader with the G League Ignite during the 2020/21 season. “I know what they’re about and I know what they want to build and how they want to build it,” Jack said of the Suns. “So now I got to get my head wrapped around this pretty fast.” In the second part of Jack’s conversation with Rankin, he discussed his role with the club. “I believe player development,” Jack said. “I believe I’ll be pretty much with the point guards for the most part.”
The Clippers have added former Wizards director of athletic performance and rehabilitation Jesse Phillips to their medical staff, reports Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Clippers Notes: Leonard, Ibaka, Preston, Offseason Grade, New Coaches

September 24th, 2021 at 9:09pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers made it to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history last season, but they’ll have to wait quite a while for Kawhi Leonard to return from the partially torn ACL he suffered in the playoffs — possibly until the 2022/23 season.

President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank says the team doesn’t even broach the subject of Leonard’s recovery timeline, stating that “no one knows” when he’ll return, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

In the same piece, Youngmisuk relays that Serge Ibaka, who’s recovering from back surgery, will be limited to non-contact drills at the start of training camp, according to Frank.

Youngmisuk also notes that rookie Jason Preston, the 33rd pick in the draft, suffered a foot injury in a group workout recently and will not be available for the start of training camp, which begins next Tuesday, September 28th. Frank said team physicians will determine the severity of the injury in the next couple of days.

Frank declined to say whether all of the players and staff members on the team are fully vaccinated, per Youngmisuk, although he did say that he’s a “huge advocate of the vaccinations.”

There’s more on the Clippers:

Zach Harper of The Athletic gave the Clippers a B-minus for their offseason moves. He liked their draft picks and thought Justise Winslow and Harry Giles were decent “buy-low” pickups, but states that ultimately their offseason will depend on how Leonard and Ibaka recover from their surgeries.
The Clippers announced in a press release that Brian Shaw and Jay Larranaga will be assistant coaches under Tyronn Lue. The team also promoted Shaun Fein to assistant coach. Shaw’s and Larranaga’s additions were reported in July. Shaw played 14 seasons in the NBA and was the former head coach of the Lakers and Nuggets. He spent last season as the head coach of G League Ignite. Larranaga was an assistant with the Celtics the past nine seasons.
In the same release, the Clippers said former NBA player Wesley Johnson will be joining the team in a coaching and development role, along with Cookie Belcher.
Frank loves Patrick Beverley and said it wasn’t easy parting with him, but he’s excited for what new addition Eric Bledsoe will bring to the team, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (via Twitter).

Clippers Sign, Waive Jordan Ford

September 24th, 2021 at 5:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers signed free agent guard Jordan Ford to a non-guaranteed contract on Wednesday and then waived him on Thursday, according to the transaction logs at RealGM and NBA.com.

The move was a procedural one. Ford’s deal was likely an Exhibit 10 contract that will ensure he receives a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, L.A.’s G League affiliate.

The Clippers already controlled Ford’s NBAGL rights because he played for Agua Caliente in 2020/21 after going undrafted out of St. Mary’s. He appeared in 15 games for the G League squad last season, averaging 13.9 PPG and 3.4 APG with an impressive .471/.439/.923 shooting line in 27.2 minutes per contest.