Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Stock Watch: Pacific Division

May 28th, 2021 at 7:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Throughout the season, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents this off-season. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Pacific Division:

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers, 29, SF (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $103MM deal in 2019

Until Giannis Antetokounmpo and other All-Stars decided to sign extensions, the summer of 2021 was considered a free agent bonanza. Leonard’s free agent foray two seasons ago, after leading the Raptors to the NBA championship, was one of the big stories of that summer. He chose to go to Los Angeles and the Clippers mortgaged their future by trading for Paul George to give him a superstar sidekick. It could all unravel for the franchise this year if the Clippers lose to the Mavericks in the opening round. Leonard was expected to opt out this summer so that he could maximize his salary with his current team. Now, other contenders might kick the tires to see if Leonard would be willing to jump ship again. If nothing else, the Clippers’ front office will be sweating it out until Leonard signs the bottom line.

Cameron Payne, Suns, 26, PG (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $2.2MM deal in 2019

It’s become an annual and unfortunate occurrence in the NBA postseason – Chris Paul suffers an injury at the worst time. Paul’s shoulder issue has limited his minutes against the Lakers the last two games and those minutes have gone to Payne. Not surprisingly, Phoenix has lost both contests but Payne has posted respectable numbers, averaging 17 PPG, 6.5 APG and 2.5 SPG in 30 MPG. The 2015 lottery pick struggled to find an NBA home until he signed with the Suns for their games in the Orlando bubble. Payne has found his niche as a second-unit point guard and if the Suns don’t re-sign him, some other team will take him for that same role.

Alex Caruso, Lakers, 27, SG (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $5MM deal in 2019

Caruso doesn’t make a big dent in the stat sheet but he’s a pesky defender and energetic spark plug off the bench. He averaged 6.5 PPG, 2.8 APG, 2.3 RPG and 1.1 SPG in 24.3 MPG during the Lakers’ run to the championship last season. He’s averaging 21 MPG through their first three playoff games this season against the Suns. Caruso seems like a nice fit on the Lakers, dutifully playing his role while knocking down the occasional 3-pointer and looking to advantage of opportunities when his defender cheats off him. The unrestricted free agent will likely get a nice bump in salary.

Hassan Whiteside, Kings, 31, C (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2.3MM deal in 2020

Whiteside was valued so much by the Heat in 2016 he was signed to a four-year, $98.4MM deal. Few teams will covet Whiteside’s services when he reaches free agency again this summer. He had to settle for the veteran’s minimum last offseason and his one season with the Kings was rather forgettable. He was relegated to backup duty, averaging 15.2 MPG in the 36 games that coach Luke Walton used him. Whiteside didn’t play after April 21, supposedly due to lower back tightness. He can still be useful as a rebounder and shot blocker in a reserve role but he’ll have to settle for the veteran’s minimum once again.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lue: This Is Character Test For Team

May 28th, 2021 at 6:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers face a gut check heading into Dallas this weekend with a 2-0 deficit in their playoff series, according to Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register. “When you’re down 2-0, it shows what you’re made of,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “Our toughness and all year, just trust, sticking together. And then this is going to show us (Friday) who we are and what we’re made of. So, I’m excited to see.”

Serge Ibaka Out For Game 3 With Back Pain

May 28th, 2021 at 4:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers, who already have their back to the walls, won’t have one of their top big men available against the Mavericks on Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Serge Ibaka will sit out due to a lingering back issue. The Clippers lost the first two games of the series with Ibaka playing limited minutes. He only saw action for six minutes in Game 2 after a 13-minute stint in Game 1.

Ibaka played two games late in the regular season after being sidelined for two months due to his back injury. Ibaka admitted to the media just after the regular season he’s been dealing with a nerve issue in his back all season and it hasn’t fully healed.

Ibaka was one of the key signings the Clippers made after last season’s playoff flameout. Ibaka inked a two-year, $19MM contract that included a $9.72MM player option this summer.

Leonard's L.A. Tenure Lacks Toronto Success; Changes Possible For Starters

May 27th, 2021 at 7:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

During his two seasons with the Clippers, All-Star swingman Kawhi Leonard has yet to come close to the level of playoff success he achieved during his lone season with the Raptors, writes Scott Stinson of the National Post. After Leonard was traded by the Spurs to the Raptors in 2018, he led Toronto to the only title in its history in 2019.

Leonard, 29, holds a player option on his $36MM deal for the 2021/22 season. Los Angeles is currently in an 0-2 deficit in its first-round playoff series against the Mavericks. Last season, amidst championship expectations, the Clippers fell 4-3 in a second-round matchup against the Nuggets.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN wonders if the long-awaited postseason “Battle of Los Angeles,” a hypothetical playoff series between the star-studded Lakers and Clippers, will ever transpire, with All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard able to enter free agency this summer. Shelburne notes that, in fact, the two Los Angeles NBA teams have never faced each other in the playoffs.
After the Clippers‘ starting lineup was outscored by 18 points in 19 minutes across two playoff losses to the Mavericks, head coach Tyronn Lue noted that a change was quite possible, writes Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. “Something needs to be done,” Lue said. The Clippers are currently starting point guard Patrick Beverley, All-Star wing Paul George, power forward Marcus Morris, and center Ivica Zubac alongside Leonard.

L.A. Notes: Clippers, Davis, Schröder, Drummond

May 26th, 2021 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers insist they’re not worried about their current predicament, even though they’re halfway to a first-round loss that could be franchise altering, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Calmness was the message repeated by players and coaches after dropping two games to Dallas on their home court.

“No worries,” guard Reggie Jackson said today in a Zoom session with reporters, echoing the sentiments of his coach, Tyronn Lue, who stated, “I’m not concerned.” Although the Clippers remain confident, they may be stuck with a bad matchup. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George having to supply so much of the team’s offense, it’s difficult for them to also guard Luka Doncic, who is averaging 35.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the first two games of the series.

“They feed off it tremendously,” Jackson said. “When (Doncic) looks like he’s having fun, they’re all cool, calm and collected. We’ve got to figure out a way to rattle him, rattle the head of the snake first and then let everybody else kind of get rattled as well.”

There’s more from L.A.:

John Hollinger of The Athletic considers possible steps that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer might take if the team is eliminated in the first round. Those could include front office changes, trying to trade for a rim protector or possibly dealing George. The team also faces the prospect of losing Leonard, who is expected to opt out of his contract this summer.
After a disappointing Game 1 performance, the Lakers‘ Anthony Davis made a statement with 34 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in the Game 2 win over the Suns. Davis’ outburst began with a spirited practice session Monday, according to Chris Haynes of The Athletic. “We knew AD was locked in and we expected this performance,” Jared Dudley said. “You could see it in him these last few days.”
The Lakers also got a lift from Dennis Schröder and Andre Drummond, who will both be free agents this summer, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Schroder poured in 24 points, while Drummond contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds. “Dennis was in attack mode from the very beginning,” LeBron James said. “… And I thought big Dre was amazing in the minutes he had. … He was just very decisive with his play tonight and I think it’s his sixth playoff game, maybe six or seven, that he’s had in his career, so he’s going to continue to get better and better.”

Community Shootaround: Kawhi Leonard’s Free Agency

May 26th, 2021 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

When Kawhi Leonard left the Raptors for the Clippers in 2019, he did so in large part because he wanted to return home to Los Angeles.

If Leonard had been prioritizing his ability to keep racking up championships, he may have remained in Toronto, where the Raptors were coming off a 2019 title and were in position to keep it rolling, or joined forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on L.A.’s other team, the Lakers.

Even after losing Leonard and Danny Green – who had expressed interest in returning to the Raptors if Kawhi did – Toronto pushed the Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2020. James and Davis, of course, led the Lakers to a championship in the Orlando bubble.

Leonard’s decision to prioritize family and comfort rather than trying to maximize his ability to win titles is certainly defensible, especially for a player who had already secured two championships. And it’s not as if he was joining an also-ran by signing with the Clippers — the addition of Kawhi and a trade for Paul George made them legitimate title contenders as well.

However, the Clips were unexpectedly eliminated in the second round of the 2020 postseason by the Nuggets, and now find themselves in a 2-0 hole in the first round in 2021, having lost two games at home to the Mavericks.

This series is far from over, and postgame comments from the likes of Leonard, George, and head coach Tyronn Lue on Tuesday stuck to a common theme: the Clippers aren’t concerned about their two-game deficit and remain confident in their abilities to pull out the series (link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN).

But if the Clippers can’t complete the comeback and are knocked out in the first round, it will be a disaster for a franchise that seemingly tanked its way into a matchup with Dallas during the season’s final weekend. Presumably, the goal was to remain out of the Lakers’ side of the Western Conference bracket, but now the Clips are at risk of being eliminated two rounds before they could even face their L.A. rivals — and they find themselves in this situation just two months before Kawhi could turn down his 2021/22 player option and return to the free agent market.

There has long been a belief that Leonard is where he wants to be and that his free agency will be a mere formality. Sure, it makes sense for him to opt out, but only so he can sign maximize his earnings by signing a new deal with the Clippers now that he’ll be eligible for a maximum salary starting at 35% of the cap.

But a second consecutive playoff disappointment would introduce a whole lot more uncertainty into Leonard’s free agency decision. The Clippers mortgaged many of their future assets when they traded for George — would they have the pieces to continue making roster upgrades, and would those moves be enough to convince Kawhi that they’ll be title contenders going forward?

Again, it’s worth reiterating that being in Los Angeles was what Leonard wanted all along, and a move to the Lakers this offseason isn’t realistic. So even if the Mavs knock out the Clippers, we shouldn’t assume that the two-time Finals MVP will jump ship in search of a better on-court situation.

But Leonard will turn 30 next month, so if he wants to sign a long-term deal this summer, he’ll essentially be choosing where he wants to spend the rest of his prime. Will he feel confident making that sort of commitment to the Clippers after two disappointing playoff runs? Would a short-term contract with the Clips be more realistic?

It’s entirely possible that this discussion will seem silly in a few weeks if Leonard and the Clippers roar back against Dallas and make a deep postseason run. For now though, there’s a ton on the line for Steve Ballmer‘s franchise, and it’s worth considering what’s next for L.A. in a worst-case scenario.

What do you think? If the Clippers are eliminated in the first round, should we expect Leonard to look elsewhere in free agency? Or will his desire to be in Los Angeles ultimately win out, even if he signs a shorter-term deal with the Clippers?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2021 NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results

May 25th, 2021 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA conducted a series of random tiebreakers today to determine the lottery standings and the 2021 draft order. These tiebreakers involved teams that finished the regular season with identical records.

The results are as follows, per Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter link):

Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 4) over Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 5)
Chicago Bulls (No. 8) over Sacramento Kings (No. 9) over New Orleans Pelicans (No. 10)
- Note: The Magic will receive the Bulls’ first-round pick if it doesn’t move up into the top four.
Charlotte Hornets (No. 11) over San Antonio Spurs (No. 12)
New York Knicks (No. 19) over Atlanta Hawks (No. 20)
New York Knicks (No. 21) over Los Angeles Lakers (No. 22) over Houston Rockets (No. 23)
- Note: The Knicks’ pick is courtesy of the Mavericks, while the Rockets’ pick is courtesy of the Trail Blazers.
Los Angeles Clippers (No. 25) over Denver Nuggets (No. 26).

Lottery teams that finished tied in the regular standings are granted essentially identical odds to move up into the top four. For instance, the Thunder and Cavaliers will each have an 11.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick, while the Bulls, Kings, and Pelicans will have matching 4.5% odds at the top selection.

However, the tiebreaker is still important for lottery teams because it dictates which team(s) will draft first in the event that neither club moves into the top four. For example, the Cavs could theoretically slip as far as No. 9 in the draft now, while the Thunder couldn’t fall below No. 8.

Outside of the lottery, the tiebreaker results simply determine the draft order. That order is subsequently reversed in the second round. For instance, the Clippers and Nuggets will pick at Nos. 25 and 26, respectively in the first round, but in round two, Denver’s pick (traded to the Thunder) will be No. 55, while the Clippers’ pick (traded to Charlotte) will be No. 56.

The Thunder and Knicks are among the big tiebreaker winners. Oklahoma City’s odds of securing a top-six pick improved by virtue of its tiebreaker win over Cleveland. As for the Knicks, they could’ve ended up with the 20th and 23rd overall picks, but will instead draft at 19 and 21.

The Magic are an under-the-radar winner as well, since they hold Chicago’s first-round pick (top-four protected). The Bulls’ tiebreaker win didn’t affect the team’s odds of moving into the top four, but it substantially increased the odds that Orlando will end up with a pick at No. 8 or 9 instead of 10 or lower.

Community Shootaround: Western Conference First-Round Series

May 24th, 2021 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

In both 2019 and 2020, the top four seeds in the Western Conference advanced to the second round of the playoffs. However, things are looking a whole lot more wide open early in the first round of the 2021 postseason.

Over the weekend, three of the four lower-seeded teams in the Western Conference playoff matchups won Game 1. The one lower seed that didn’t come away with a win? The No. 7 Lakers, who were favored by oddsmakers over the No. 2 Suns coming into the series.

Despite their seventh seed, the defending-champion Lakers have been widely viewed as one of the favorites to come out of the West now that they’re healthy again, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis back in the lineup. But L.A.’s two leading scorers combined for just 31 points on 11-of-29 shooting in Game 1 against a tough Phoenix team that led almost all night despite a subpar performance from veteran leader Chris Paul.

Later on Sunday, the No. 8 Grizzlies pulled out an upset victory over the No. 1 Jazz, taking advantage of Donovan Mitchell‘s absence and Rudy Gobert‘s foul trouble (he played just 25 minutes before fouling out), as Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks racked up a combined 57 points and helped Memphis hold off a late push from Utah.

On Saturday, the fifth-seeded Mavericks and sixth-seeded Trail Blazers knocked off the Clippers and Nuggets, respectively. A pair of All-NBA guards played key roles in those victories — Luka Doncic scored a game-high 31 points and was a game-best plus-19 in Los Angeles, while Damian Lillard pulled off a similar feat in Denver (34 points, plus-25).

It’s not uncommon for an underdog to win the first game of a series and fail to take advantage of that momentum. In fact, each of the last two NBA champions (the Lakers in 2020 and the Raptors in 2019) lost the first game of their respective first-round series, then won the next four en route to a deep playoff run.

To that point, the oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag still consider the Jazz and Clippers favorites over the Grizzlies and Mavericks, and give the Lakers near-even odds to win their first-round series over the Suns. Confidence in the Nuggets is dwindling though — the Trail Blazers have been made solid favorites in that series.

We want to know what you think. Will multiple lower-seeded teams win their first-round matchups? Which four Western Conference teams do you expect to see in the second round?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts and predictions!

Team To Bring In 7,000 Fans For Postseason Opener

May 22nd, 2021 at 2:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers will have approximately 7,000 fans in the stands for their playoff opener, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. That’s the maximum they can sell, per local regulations. The remainder of the seats will be filled with cardboard cutouts.

Mavericks Notes: Richardson, Redick, Kleber, Fans

May 21st, 2021 at 9:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks wing Josh Richardson admits he’s not thrilled with a reserve role but he’s not going to make any waves, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Richardson is expected to come off the bench during the postseason after starting 56 of the 59 games in which he played this season.

“I was kind of upset at first, but you know, bigger picture, it’s the playoffs, and we don’t have time for anybody to be worried about personal issues or anything like that,” he said.

Richardson holds an $11.6MM option on his contract for next season.

We have more Mavericks news:

J.J. Redick is “unlikely” to play in the first round series against the Clippers, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. After being acquired from New Orleans to fortify the backcourt, Redick has appeared in only 13 games due to a nagging heel injury.
The injury news is more promising for power forward Maxi Kleber. He’s got a good chance to play in Game 1, Rick Carlisle told Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com and other media members. Kleber missed the last two regular season games with right Achilles soreness.
The team will bring in crowds in excess of 15,000 when the series shifts to Dallas, Caplan tweets. The franchise will also host vaccination centers outside of American Airlines Arena.