Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Convert Kai Jones To Two-Way Contract

October 19th, 2024 at 1:58pm CST by Tristan Tucker

3:05pm: Jones’ two-way deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

1:58pm: The Clippers are converting big man Kai Jones to a two-way contract from his previous Exhibit 10 pact, according to NBA insider Chris B. Haynes (Twitter link).

Jones, a former 19th overall pick, impressed in recent weeks. He averaged 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in five preseason games, serving as L.A.’s primary backup center while Mohamed Bamba dealt with an injury. Head coach Tyronn Lue recently made sure to note Jones’ importance to the team.

The 6’11” Texas product spent the first two years of his career with the Hornets, but didn’t crack the rotation. That, paired with a personal mental health struggle, led to his release. He signed a 10-day contract with the Sixers in March but wasn’t brought back after it expired.

Jones then landed with the Clippers at the end of the regular season. He didn’t appear in a game last season, however. He had a team option for 2024/25, which was declined this offseason, before he was brought back on the Exhibit 10 contract.

The Clippers are still at the offseason limit of 21 players, but Jones being converted likely means we will see all of Elijah Harkless, Braxton Key and Alondes Williams — their other Exhibit 10 players — waived in the coming hours. The Clippers don’t have a vacant spot on their 15-man roster and they have all three two-way slots filled. They’re also reportedly planning on signing Tosan Evbuomwan, presumably to an Exhibit 10 deal in order to subsequently waive him and have him join their G League affiliate.

Kuminga, Suggs, Giddey Among Extension Candidates Seeking $30MM+ Annually

October 19th, 2024 at 10:43am CST by Tristan Tucker

The deadline for teams to sign players to rookie scale contract extensions falls on Monday and will force several clubs to make tough decisions.

The Warriors have two players under consideration for rookie scale extensions: Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. As we relayed Friday evening, Moody appears more likely than Kuminga to receive an extension by Monday. Moody is in line to receive minutes at the wing spot in the wake up Klay Thompson‘s departure, and NBA insider Jake Fischer reports he could earn more than $10MM per season on his extension (Threads link).

However, Kuminga is seeking a near-max contract that would pay him north of $30MM annually. According to Fischer, the Warriors have “never seemed intent” on paying the forward that kind of money ahead of the season. That tracks with earlier reporting, which suggested that both sides are content to wait to see if Kuminga takes another step forward in 2024/25 and helps propel the team back into contention as its second- or third-best player. In that scenario, he would presumably be rewarded in restricted free agency next offseason.

Moody averaged 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season while Kuminga broke out, averaging 16.1 PPG on 52.9% shooting from the field.

We have more on this year’s rookie scale extension candidates:

According to Fischer, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson is facing a similar situation to Kuminga. However, there’s “far more optimism” that the Hawks and Johnson will finalize a deal worth north of $30MM each year, which is said to be the starting point for negotiations with the former Duke standout. Johnson broke out in a big way last season, jumping from 5.6 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 2022/23 to 16.0 PPG and 8.7 RPG. He’s primed to be a long-term fixture in Atlanta as one of the Hawks’ franchise cornerstones.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs is seeking an extension worth more than $30MM annually in talks with Orlando, NBA insider Marc Stein reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether or not Orlando is prepared to make that sort of offer, but Suggs emerged as one of the best defensive guards in the league last season, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team, averaging 12.6 PPG and 1.4 SPG, improving his outside shooting to 39.7%, and helping the young Magic to a 47-win season.
Immanuel Quickley‘s five-year, $162.5MM contract with the Raptors is said to have set a benchmark for young guards across the league, Fischer says, confirming previous reporting. Bulls guard/forward Josh Giddey is also seeking at least $30MM per year on his next extension. However, the Bulls are more interested in seeing how Giddey fits with the team before committing that kind of money to him. Chicago traded Alex Caruso for Giddey in June.
The Rockets haven’t been willing to this point to approach a maximum-salary deal for either Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun, according to Fischer. We relayed Friday that the Rockets have held productive conversations with both players, submitting offers to each, but that those offers were below the max. Fischer indicates that Houston is completely fine with not agreeing to terms with either before the year begins.
Clippers guard Bones Hyland and Nets young players Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe are not expected to agree to terms on a rookie scale extension, according to Fischer. However, there remains some optimism that Hornets guard Tre Mann, Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson and Wizards wing Corey Kispert will be able to sign extensions by Monday’s deadline.
Quentin Grimes has emerged as a real candidate to receive an extension by Monday, according to Stein (Twitter link). Grimes was acquired by the Mavericks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason and he’s averaged 8.5 PPG across three NBA seasons. His deal would presumably be in the ballpark of Moody’s, perhaps a bit more than $10MM per year.

Clippers Signing Tosan Evbuomwan

October 18th, 2024 at 9:57pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers are signing free agent forward Tosan Evbuomwan, agent George S. Langberg tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Evbuomwan, 23, went undrafted in 2023 after starring in college at Princeton. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Detroit last fall, was waived, and started his rookie campaign in the NBA G League with the Motor City Cruise before receiving a 10-day hardship contract from Memphis in late January.

After his 10-day deal with the Grizzlies expired, the Pistons signed him to a 10-day contract and then eventually gave him a two-way deal covering two seasons. However, he was waived two days ago, making him an unrestricted free agent.

A 6’8″ forward, Evbuomwan averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game in 17 total NBA appearances (eight starts) with Memphis and Detroit, posting a shooting line of .507/.375/.680. In 34 G League outings with the Cruise, he put up averages of 15.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 3.8 APG on .554/.361/.754 shooting in 34.2 MPG.

As with many eleventh-hour signings, Evbuomwan likely agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Clips to give him a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with their G League affiliate in San Diego. San Diego will need to acquire his returning player rights from the Cruise for that to happen.

The Clippers’ 21-man offseason roster is currently full, so they’ll have to release someone to add Evbuomwan.

L.A. Notes: Vanderbilt, Knecht, Kawhi, Powell, K. Jones

October 18th, 2024 at 8:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt will be sidelined to open the 2024/25 regular season as he continues to rehab from surgeries on both feet in May, head coach J.J. Redick said on Thursday evening (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). According to Redick, Vanderbilt will be out at least two more weeks, which means he’ll miss a minimum of five regular season games.

A rangy, versatile defender, Vanderbilt was limited to just 29 games due to foot injuries. Redick said last week that the 25-year-old hasn’t experienced any setbacks in training camp, but he has yet to take part in practice, contact or otherwise.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:

No. 17 overall pick Dalton Knecht showed on Thursday why the Lakers believe he’ll be viewed as a draft-night steal, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Knecht scored 35 points in 32 minutes off the bench, pouring in the Lakers’ last seven points of regulation and their first 13 of overtime. League executives say Knecht fell out of the lottery due to concerns about his age and defensive limitations, per Woike, but he appears poised to open his rookie season as a rotation player in Los Angeles.
Discussing the status of Kawhi Leonard‘s troublesome right knee, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue admitted the star forward experienced a setback at Team USA’s training camp, as Janis Carr of The Orange County Register relays. “The swelling was down, everything was going in the right direction,” Lue said. “He had worked hard to get to the that point and then once you start playing, you never know what’s going to happen.”
Clippers swingman Norman Powell spoke to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.com about a wide variety of topics, including his first impressions of the team’s new arena, Leonard’s absence, and being challenged to step up on defense with Kawhi out. “Over the years, there’s been a focus on my scoring part,” Powell said. “But I’m tapping back into my defensive abilities and guarding as a two-way player. I love it. I know I can do it.”
After a strong camp and preseason, big man Kai Jones is set to open the season with the Clippers, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Since the team already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts, Jones will likely have his Exhibit 10 deal converted into a two-way contract prior to opening night, Murray adds.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Out Indefinitely With Knee Issue

October 17th, 2024 at 2:07pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard is expected to be out indefinitely as he continues to rehab from right knee inflammation, league sources tell Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

At the team’s media day on September 30, Leonard expressed optimism about being ready for the regular season opener on October 23. Based on ESPN’s report, there’s essentially no chance of that happening.

Leonard, who dealt with inflammation in his right knee at the end of last season and underwent surgery during the offseason, has yet to take part in contact drills and is working on strengthening the knee. He was ruled out for the remainder of preseason earlier this week.

“He has not been a part of what we’ve been doing on a daily basis,” Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw said after Wednesday’s practice. “I know the company line has been that we’re going to be patient with him, so he’s doing everything that he can to rehab it and strengthen that knee on his own with our medical staff. And we’re just dealing with the guys that we have [available].”

According to ESPN’s duo, the Clippers and Leonard are working together to find the best long-term solution to keep the two-time Finals MVP healthy. The team plans to be cautious with Leonard, who tore his right ACL in 2021, then his right meniscus in 2023. He missed the entire 2021/22 season while recovering from the ACL injury.

A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, the 33-year-old remains a two-way force when active. He appeared in 68 games last season (34.3 MPG), averaging 23.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.6 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .525/.417/.885 shooting. However, as previously mentioned, he was hampered by the knee inflammation to end ’23/24, including in L.A.’s first-round playoff loss to Dallas.

Leonard was originally on USA Basketball’s roster for the 2024 Olympics in Paris over the summer, but he was replaced with Derrick White before the event began. Team USA claimed the gold medal after edging past Serbia and France in the semifinal and final, respectively.

With Leonard sidelined to open the season and Paul George departing for Philadelphia in free agency, the Clippers will have a difficult task in replacing their production, particularly on offense. They’ll need multiple players to step up, with offseason additions Derrick Jones and Nicolas Batum among the candidates for more playing time.

Leonard is under contract through ’26/27 after signing a three-year, $152MM extension last season.

Clippers Notes: Leonard, Powell, Bamba, Van Gundy

October 16th, 2024 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers‘ season opener is only a week away, and there’s very little clarity regarding Kawhi Leonard, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Leonard is still dealing with the right knee inflammation that knocked him out of the team’s first-round playoff series last spring and prevented him from playing in the Olympics. Coach Tyronn Lue has already confirmed that Leonard won’t be used during the preseason, but his status is murky beyond that.

“Continue to keep rehabbing, keep getting better and keep checking the boxes,” Lue responded when asked how the team is handling Leonard.

Beyond the Clippers’ need to get off to a good start in what figures to be an intense Western Conference playoff race, Leonard’s ongoing knee ailments raise concern about his future. This is the first season of his three-year, $152MM contract extension, and the team will need him on the court as much as possible to remain competitive after losing Paul George in free agency.

There’s more from Los Angeles:

After playing primarily off the bench since he joined the Clippers, Norman Powell is hoping to earn a starting role this season, Turner adds in the same piece. Lue talked about what the veteran swingman needs to do to become a full-time starter. “Be able to score the basketball. When you don’t, just taking the defensive challenge every night,” Lue said. “So being able to guard his position, being able to match up with guys. We talked about two years ago, we saw in the playoffs in Phoenix, like, taking the challenge defensively. He’s gotten a lot better. So just being able to guard guys every night, being able to switch, sometimes guard point guards when we need him too. He’s been phenomenal so far in this training camp.”
The team continues to hope that backup center Mohamed Bamba will be able to recover from his knee soreness in time to play next week, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Bamba said the pain is a result of the wear and tear from his six NBA seasons, and he doesn’t have an official timetable to return.
Assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy, who joined the Clippers’ staff this summer, has raised the team’s level of aggression on defense, observes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. L.A. had 20 steals and forced 29 turnovers in Monday’s win over Dallas.“The defensive coordinator usually has to kind of be the guy that’s the (bad guy) because you got to be tough, and you got to hold everybody accountable,” fellow assistant Brian Shaw said. “So sometimes when he’s being that we have to be the good cops to balance out, but it’s been good.”

Pacific Notes: Kaminsky, Suns, Watson, Kawhi, Kings

October 15th, 2024 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

It’s unclear whether or not the Suns will carry a 15th man on their standard roster to start the season, since doing so will cost them exponentially more in tax penalties beyond the player’s minimum salary. If Phoenix does carry a full roster, big man Frank Kaminsky looks like the favorite to be that 15th man, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The Suns waived two other camp invitees – Mamadi Diakite and Moses Wood – on Monday.

“He’s a veteran, smart, a lot of things we want to be about,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said of Kaminsky. “Having Frank in camp has been great and those will be the hard decisions with (Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein and general manager James Jones) and the front office. We’ve got to sit down and put everything together and make good, hard decisions.”

Kaminsky’s minimum-salary contract is non-guaranteed, so if the Suns do decide to hang onto him beyond the preseason, they’d essentially be paying him by the day. However, they’d also be increasing their projected tax bill each day he remains on the roster. That projected bill is already worth north of $185MM based on the team’s current financial commitments.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Phoenix’s G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, completed a trade on Monday, acquiring Paul Watson‘s returning rights from the Austin Spurs in exchange for the rights to Lindell Wigginton and Matt Lewis (Twitter link). Wigginton and Lewis are both playing overseas this fall, so the deal appears mostly about funneling Watson to the Suns’ NBAGL roster.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard won’t play at all during the preseason, head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed on Monday, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Leonard, who dealt with inflammation in his right knee at the end of last season and during the offseason, has yet to take part in contact drills and is working on strengthening the knee. His status for the team’s regular season opener next Wednesday vs. Phoenix remains up in the air.
Breaking down the reported trade agreement that will send Jalen McDaniels to San Antonio, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee wonders if the Kings might be setting up another deal by creating additional financial flexibility in their deal with the Spurs. The trade will move Sacramento about $5.8MM below the luxury tax line, with 13 players on standard contracts.

Pacific Notes: Warriors Lineup, Hield, Dunn, Jones

October 14th, 2024 at 5:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were the only players who entered Warriors camp with guaranteed starting jobs. ESPN’s Kendra Andrews takes a look at the battles for the other starting spots.

As Andrews details, De’Anthony Melton and Brandin Podziemski are fighting for the shooting guard spot with Buddy Hield pegged as a sixth man. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney are the candidates to play up front next to Green. Jonathan Kuminga is pushing for the starting small forward job with Andrew Wiggins sidelined by an illness during training camp.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Hield made a nasty remark about Sacramento in a “hot mic” moment two seasons ago after the Kings traded him to the Pacers, but the Warriors swingman told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee that he harbors no ill toward the organization or the city. “I’ll always love Sacramento,” Hield said. “Sacramento is kind of where my career started. I always thank (former GM) Vlade (Divac) and (team owner) Vivek (Ranadive) for reaching out and giving me an opportunity to come play for the city and this organization. My comments are my comments. I can’t take them back, but when you have a mic open, friendly conversation with your friends, and a hot mic catches you, you can’t take that back. I’ve got to take that on the chin, but I love Sacramento.”
Rookie wing Ryan Dunn has opened some eyes during Suns training camp and could be the steal of the draft, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Dunn only made a dozen three-pointers in 51 attempts during two seasons at Virginia, but has knocked down 12 on 27 attempts this preseason. Dunn’s strength entering the draft was his defense, so if he can continue to make threes, the 28th overall pick will be a valuable addition.
Kai Jones didn’t appear in an NBA game last season after two disappointing years with the Hornets. Jones is competing for a roster spot on the Clippers after signing a training camp contract this summer. Head coach Tyronn Lue‘s advice to him hit home, he told Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “(Lue) told me when I got here, that everything that I did in the past (I needed to) forgive myself, you know, just learn from it, grow from it and just be better,” Jones said.

Braxton Key Signs With Clippers

October 13th, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

OCTOBER 13: Key’s deal with the Clippers is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

OCTOBER 12: The Clippers plan to sign free agent Braxton Key, a team source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old small forward spent last season with Denver on a two-way contract. He saw limited playing time in 20 NBA games, but averaged 20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in eight regular season contests with the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold.

Key began his NBA career with Philadelphia after going undrafted out of Virginia in 2020. He also spent time with the Pistons before being waived in December of 2022. Key has appeared in 34 total NBA games with career averages of 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per night.

Key is likely to receive an Exhibit 10 contract, which will qualify him for a bonus of up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Clippers’ G League affiliate in San Diego. He will take the place of Nate Darling, who was waived earlier today, so another roster move won’t be necessary. L.A. will be back to the offseason limit of 21 players once Key’s contract is finalized.

Clippers Sign, Waive Nate Darling

October 12th, 2024 at 7:15pm CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 12: The Clippers have waived Darling, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 21: Darling’s contract is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

SEPTEMBER 20: The Clippers are signing free agent guard Nate Darling to an Exhibit 10 contract, a team source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Darling went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets for 26 total minutes. He also played 13 games for the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has spent the past three seasons as an affiliate player for the Clippers’ NBA G League team, which rebranded as the San Diego Clippers for 2024/25 after moving. He spent a handful of days on a two-way deal with L.A. in 2022/23, but didn’t appear in a regular season game.

Darling missed nearly all of last season with a toe injury, per Rotowire, only appearing in two games. In his last healthy season (’22/23), the 26-year-old averaged 20.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.2 APG on .464/.410/.831 shooting in 40 Showcase Cup and regular season games with the Clips’ affiliate (then in Ontario, CA).

Darling seems likely to be waived and headed back to the NBAGL. In that scenario, he could earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with San Diego. Although it seems unlikely given how long he was out last season, the Clippers technically have an open two-way spot, and Exhibit 10’s can be converted to two-way contracts.

Once Darling’s contract is finalized, the Clippers will have 21 players on their roster, which is the offseason limit. They have 15 players on guaranteed standard deals, a pair on two-way deals, and Darling joining three other players (Kai Jones, Elijah Harkless, RayJ Dennis) on Exhibit 10 deals.