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Clippers Sign Keon Johnson To Rookie Contract

August 6th, 2021 at 7:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have officially signed first-round pick Keon Johnson to his rookie contract, the team announced today.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Johnson was the No. 21 pick in last Thursday’s draft and was technically selected by the Knicks on behalf of the Clippers. New York and Los Angeles agreed to a draft-night deal that saw the Clips give up a future second-round pick to move up from No. 25 to No. 21 to secure Johnson.

A 6’5″ wing, Johnson spent a single season at Tennessee, averaging 11.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.5 APG on .449/.271/.703 shooting in 27 games (25.5 MPG).

Back in April, when he declared for the draft, he was listed as the No. 6 prospect on ESPN’s big board and was viewed as a probable lottery pick. However, he remains very raw, especially on the offensive end, and slipped a little as teams in the middle of the first round opted for safer picks.

Unless he signs for less than 120% of his rookie scale amount, which is unlikely, Johnson will earn $2.55MM in 2021/22, as our breakdown of rookie scale salaries shows.

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Clippers Sign Justise Winslow To Two-Year Deal

August 6th, 2021 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 8: The Clippers have officially signed Winslow, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 6: The Clippers are in agreement with free agent forward Justise Winslow on a two-year deal, his agents Austin Brown and Erika Ruiz tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Clippers are using the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Winslow, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. According to Greif, there are no options on the deal’s second season.

Winslow became an unrestricted free agent at the beginning of the month when Memphis declined a $13MM option on his contract.

Winslow’s career has been sidetracked by hip and back injuries but, if healthy, he could jump into the Clippers’ rotation. He appeared in just 11 games with Miami during the 2019/20 season. He was traded to the Grizzlies in February 2020 but didn’t make his team debut until late February this year.

Winslow had trouble scraping off the rust, averaging 6.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 1.9 APG in 19.5 MPG while shooting 35.1% from the field in 26 games.

In his last full season, Winslow averaged 12.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 4.3 APG in 2018/19 while being used at times as a point forward. Winslow, 25, provides a boost at the wing spot, which is much needed since Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss most of next season after undergoing knee surgery.

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Clippers Re-Sign Reggie Jackson To Two-Year Deal

August 6th, 2021 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 11: The Clippers have officially re-signed Jackson, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 6: Free agent point guard Reggie Jackson intends to sign a two-year, $22MM deal to return to the Clippers, agents Aaron Mintz and Erika Ruiz tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

That figure (which will actually come in around $21.6MM) is the maximum the capped-out Clippers can pay Jackson using his Early Bird rights, as Woj and Bobby Marks of ESPN note (Twitter link). Early Bird contracts must cover at least two years without a player or team option.

After settling for a minimum-salary contract last offseason, Jackson was rewarded with a significant raise for his strong play in 2020/21. The 31-year-old averaged 10.7 PPG with a .433 3PT% and was even better in the playoffs, putting up 17.8 PPG on .484/.408/.878 shooting.

He played in key role in helping the Clippers defeat Utah in the Western Conference Semifinals and push the Suns to six games in the Western Finals after Kawhi Leonard went down with an ACL injury in round two.

The Pelicans, Celtics, Knicks, and Nuggets were reported as potential suitors for Jackson, but a return to Los Angeles had always been considered the most likely scenario for the veteran guard. Jackson will be an important part of a backcourt that once again projects to include Rajon Rondo, Patrick Beverley, and Terance Mann.

The Clippers, meanwhile, still have one more major item on their free agency to-do list, as star forward Kawhi Leonard has yet to agree to a new deal with the team. He’s widely expected to do so sooner or later, but it remains to be seen what the exact terms of his new agreement will look like.

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Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Clippers, Curry, Vogel

August 5th, 2021 at 7:26pm CST by Luke Adams

About an hour before word broke on Tuesday that DeMar DeRozan had agreed to join the Bulls via sign-and-trade, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that DeRozan intended to meet with the Clippers. So did that meeting actually happen before DeRozan reached a deal with Chicago? Haynes shared some details in the latest episode of his Posted Up with Chris Haynes podcast.

“The Clippers’ brass were on their way to DeMar’s house,” Haynes said. “Things got a little bit more interesting with the Bulls, it looked like a deal was going to get done with Chicago, and DeMar DeRozan’s agent Aaron Goodwin called the Clippers out of courtesy and was like, ‘You know what, let’s not waste anybody’s time. Out of respect to you guys, let’s cancel this meeting. (DeRozan)’s going to go elsewhere.'”

Haynes added that the Clippers were going to have to do “a ton of work” on their roster to be able to make DeRozan a competitive offer, suggesting that the veteran wing – who received an $85MM commitment from Chicago – wouldn’t have been willing to settle for the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9MM), which was all L.A. realistically had at its disposal.

“DeMar DeRozan was not going to any team and taking the mid-level. He wasn’t,” Haynes said. “Not the full mid-level, not the taxpayer mid-level. He wasn’t having it.”

Here are a few more updates from around the Pacific:

  • Speaking to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic after news of his new $215MM extension with the Warriors broke, Stephen Curry said he loves the players Golden State drafted last Thursday and was happy to hear the team was pursuing veteran free agents this week, even if top targets like Patty Mills and Nicolas Batum are headed elsewhere. “I would be disappointed if there was ever a vibe that you’re complacent or that you’re not proactive and looking to always get better,” Curry said. “So if you’re telling me we’re trying to go after Batum, we’re trying to go after Patty, and things didn’t line up like that, then that’s just how the league works. But if there’s ever a situation where you don’t feel that commitment from upstairs, then we have issues. I haven’t felt that this summer.”
  • Thompson adds in the same story that the fourth year on Curry’s extension was a “minor sticking point,” given its unprecedented cap hit, but the Warriors ultimately relented. Curry, who will turn 38 during the 2025/26 season, will earn a staggering $59.6MM that year.
  • Now that the Lakers have nearly finished filling out their roster with a handful of free agent commitments, the next big question for the franchise to answer is Frank Vogel‘s status, writes Bill Oram of The Athletic. Vogel is a candidate for an extension, since he’s entering the final year of his contract as the team’s head coach.
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Free Agency Rumors: R. Jackson, Cavaliers, Suns, Wizards

August 4th, 2021 at 7:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Reggie Jackson is getting a lot of interest on the free agent market after his strong playoff run, but the Clippers remain hopeful about re-signing him, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN.

Jackson, 31, is coming off a strong season and playoff run with the Clippers — he topped 20 points nine times during the playoffs and shot a career-high 43.3% from three-point range last season. Los Angeles holds his Early Bird rights and can offer him a starting salary worth up to nearly $10.4MM.

Money will be a key factor in Jackson’s decision, according to Schultz (via Twitter), who adds that the Pelicans may be a “sleeper team” in the race for the veteran point guard. New Orleans general manager Trajan Langdon is known to be a fan of Jackson.

There’s more news on free agency:

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Bulls To Acquire DeMar DeRozan From Spurs Via Sign-And-Trade

August 3rd, 2021 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent wing DeMar DeRozan is expected to sign a three-year, $85MM contract with the Bulls, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

According to Charania, the Bulls and Spurs are finalizing a sign-and-trade deal that will send DeRozan to Chicago in exchange for Thaddeus Young, a future first-round pick, and two second-round picks. Al-Farouq Aminu will go to San Antonio in the deal too, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski also provides the details on the draft picks headed to the Spurs, reporting (via Twitter) that the future first-round pick will convey in 2025 at the earliest, since the Bulls owe their 2023 first-rounder to Orlando. The second-rounders Chicago is sending to San Antonio are the Lakers’ 2022 pick and the Bulls’ own 2025 pick, Woj adds.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links), who first reported DeRozan was nearing a deal with Chicago, says his three-year deal will be fully guaranteed.

It’s a fascinating turn of events for the Bulls and for DeRozan, who had reportedly been planning to meet with the Clippers despite their limited cap flexibility. Because acquiring a player via sign-and-trade hard-caps a team at the tax apron, a sign-and-trade for DeRozan likely wasn’t an option for the Clippers, who project to be taxpayers.

However, the Bulls, who had already agreed to acquire Lonzo Ball via sign-and-trade and had two sizeable – and expendable – expiring contracts belonging to Young and Aminu, were in a far better position to make DeRozan an aggressive offer. And they did just that, agreeing to a deal that will add DeRozan to a core that now includes Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Ball.

While DeRozan’s lack of a three-point shot (he has made 35 in the last three seasons) is an oddity for a wing in the modern NBA, his mid-range game is deadly and he has become a legitimately dangerous play-maker, averaging a career-best 6.9 assists per game in 2020/21. Opponents will have a tough time stopping lineups featuring him, LaVine, and Vucevic, though it won’t be the most stout group defensively.

Based on their reported moves, the Bulls still have about $19.5MM in breathing room below the tax and $26MM below the hard cap, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who notes (via Twitter) that the team still holds Lauri Markkanen‘s Bird rights.

The Spurs, who have free agent deals in place with Zach Collins and Doug McDermott, still have about $6MM in projected cap space to work with, Marks adds.

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DeMar DeRozan Plans To Meet With Clippers

August 3rd, 2021 at 2:30pm CST by JD Shaw

Free agent shooting guard DeMar DeRozan plans to meet with the Clippers on Tuesday, according to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.

DeRozan, a native of Compton, California, is also receiving interest from the Bulls, Haynes confirms. Any agreement between DeRozan and Chicago would likely feature a sign-and-trade, one that could land sharpshooting big man Lauri Markkanen in San Antonio.

As Haynes notes, the Clippers don’t have the cap space to sign DeRozan outright, meaning they would need to be creative in landing his services. The team only has a $5.9MM mid-level exception and probably can’t realistically acquire DeRozan via sign-and-trade since it would create a hard cap on the team’s spending.

DeRozan remains one of the league’s most accomplished scorers and top players still available in free agency. He held per-game averages of 21.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and a career-high 6.9 assists last season, also shooting 49.5% from the floor.

The downside to signing DeRozan, of course, is his three-point shooting. He’s only made 35 threes in his last three seasons, though he remains a lethal mid-range scorer who can finish through traffic and create looks for teammates. He’ll be entering his 13th season.

Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard is likely to miss part of next season rehabbing a partially torn ACL, making DeRozan more appealing for Los Angeles as it looks to return to the playoffs in the spring.

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Free Agency Rumors: DeRozan, Smart, Dragic, Tucker

August 3rd, 2021 at 1:28am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

It appears that several teams remain interested in adding veteran free agent Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan, but are trying to gauge his market. Jordan Schultz of ESPN reports (Twitter link) that the Clippers would like to sign DeRozan, as would the Spurs if the price is right.

Schultz notes that there are other clubs interested in DeRozan, but – assuming he’s is not offered an overwhelming deal – the former four-time All-Star will take his time in determining a destination.

Here are more free agency rumors from around the NBA world:

  • With Lonzo Ball now headed to the Bulls in a sign-and-trade deal as a restricted free agent, another team that had been floated as a potential destination, the Celtics, will most likely not attempt to move on from guard Marcus Smart, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Murphy adds (Twitter link) that Smart is hoping to earn a four-year, $80MM contract extension from Boston.
  • Veteran guard Goran Dragic , who is expected to be sent from the Heat to the Raptors in an upcoming sign-and-trade for veteran free agent point guard Kyle Lowry, is hoping to be rerouted to the Mavericks, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link). The details of a sign-and-trade agreement between Miami and Toronto have not yet been fully reported.
  • Now that the news has broken that newly-minted NBA champion P.J. Tucker will be joining the Heat rather than return to the Bucks in free agency, Sam Amick of The Athletic notes a big part of the reason was Milwaukee’s exorbitant projected tax bill if Tucker had returned. The Bucks appear hopeful to replace Tucker’s versatile defensive contributions by agreeing to a deal with former Celtics forward Semi Ojeleye.
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Nicolas Batum Re-Signs With Clippers

August 2nd, 2021 at 7:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 13: The Clippers have officially re-signed Batum, the team announced today in a press release.

“Nico is a terrific player, a selfless teammate and a consummate professional, who lifts us in a lot of different ways,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He fit in perfectly from the beginning, and we’re grateful he’s chosen to return.”

AUGUST 2: Forward Nicolas Batum has agreed to re-sign with the Clippers on a two-year contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The contract includes a player option in the second year, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets.

Los Angeles held Non-Bird rights on Batum, allowing the team to re-sign him for $120% of his minimum salary. By utilizing those rights, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), the Clippers still have the $5.9MM taxpayer exception at their disposal.

It’s a coup for the Clippers, who were expected to face plenty of competition for Batum’s services, including from Portland, Golden State, Miami, and Indiana

After getting buried on Charlotte’s bench the previous season, Batum enjoyed a career revival with the Clippers. He averaged 8.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 2.2 APG in 67 regular-season games, including 38 starts. He also averaged 8.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 2.1 APG in 16 postseason games.

Batum began his career in 2008 with Portland.

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Free Agent Rumors: Dinwiddie, Ball, DeRozan, Pistons, Clippers

August 2nd, 2021 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

There are conflicting rumors on the possibility of the Wizards acquiring Spencer Dinwiddie via sign-and-trade, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who says that one source described that scenario as “pure vapor,” while another insisted that it’s real if the Nets can dump DeAndre Jordan‘s contract in the process.

As Hollinger points out, if the Wizards expand their Russell Westbrook trade with the Lakers to include Brooklyn, they could theoretically flip Kyle Kuzma to the Nets and acquire Dinwiddie via sign-and-trade while also taking on Jordan’s contract.

However, there are other scenarios in play for both Dinwiddie and the Wizards. Both Hollinger and Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report suggest that the idea of the Thunder signing Dinwiddie for a deal in the two-year, $40MM range has been floating around the league, and Fischer reiterates that Dinwiddie is a viable Plan B for the Pelicans if they miss out on Kyle Lowry.

Meanwhile, both Hollinger and Fischer say the Wizards are also believed to have interest in point guard Alex Caruso, whose market could be in the neighborhood of the full mid-level exception. Hollinger adds that there has been “some hum” about the possibility of Washington having interest in Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon.

Here are a few more rumors on some of this year’s top free agents:

  • Hollinger and Fischer identify the Bulls as the most likely team to sign Lonzo Ball to an offer sheet, likely in the four-year, $80-84MM range. However, Chicago would have to dump some salary to make room for such an offer sheet, and it’s unclear if the team is prepared to make those moves without being certain the Pelicans won’t match the offer, notes Hollinger.
  • The Celtics continue be mentioned as a possible Ball suitor, per Fischer and Sam Amick of The Atheltic. Amick also names the Mavericks as a possibility for Ball, while Hollinger dubs the Pacers a “dark horse” in the Ball sweepstakes, suggesting that a deal sending Malcolm Brogdon to the Pelicans could tempt New Orleans. Finally, Hollinger mentions an intriguing double sign-and-trade possibility that would send Lonzo to the Hornets to team up with his brother LaMelo Ball, with Devonte’ Graham going to the Pelicans.
    • Note: Hollinger has since amended this last item, suggesting that Lonzo and Graham could be involved in a double-sign-and-trade, but that Ball would likely be rerouted to a team besides Charlotte in that scenario.
  • The idea of DeMar DeRozan signing with the Heat for their mid-level exception has been a hot rumor lately, according to Hollinger. However, Fischer says DeRozan is also said to have interest from the Knicks, Pistons, and Mavericks, while Amick indicates a return to the Spurs remains “very possible.”
  • According to both Hollinger and Fischer, Kelly Olynyk has been increasingly mentioned as a target for the Pistons, who also may re-sign Cory Joseph at a lesser rate after waiving him over the weekend.
  • Outside of bringing back Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers‘ top priorities in free agency are re-signing Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum, sources tell Amick.
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