Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rondo Anticipating Offer From Hawks, Remains Focused On Clippers

November 17th, 2020 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

2:04pm: Isola has clarified (via Twitter) that the Hawks’ offer to Rondo is expected to be worth $7.5MM annually — $15MM in total over two years.

1:30pm: Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, who will become a free agent this Friday, is expecting to receive a significant offer from the Hawks, according to Frank Isola of SiriusXM NBA Radio, who tweets that Atlanta’s offer is expected to be worth $15MM for two years.

It’s not 100% clear based on Isola’s wording if that hypothetical offer would be worth $15MM annually or in total — Atlanta does have the cap room necessary to comfortably put $15MM per year on the table for Rondo and that would certainly qualify as a “significant” offer. Rondo has also never made that much in a single season in his career though, so a total guarantee of $15MM over two years is probably more in line with his current value.

Either way, a source tells Isola that Rondo “remains focused” on the possibility of joining the Clippers. The 34-year-old could potentially receive a deal worth the mid-level from the Clips, per Isola, though it remains to be seen if the club will have the full mid-level ($9.3MM) or just the taxpayer portion ($5.7MM) available.

A reunion with the Lakers isn’t out of the realm of possibility for Rondo, but it sounds like the defending champions are preparing to lose him in free agency. The Lakers have reached an agreement to acquire Dennis Schröder from Oklahoma City to fortify their backcourt.

Rondo played an important role in helping the Lakers capture the NBA title in Orlando. He suffered a fractured right thumb shortly after arriving at the Disney World complex, but was able to return in time for the playoffs, averaging 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists off the bench in 16 games. He’s turning down a minimum-salary player option in order to reach free agency.

Pelicans Hire Beyer, Hill, Walters For Van Gundy’s Staff

November 16th, 2020 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans announced on Monday they have hired Bob Beyer, Casey Hill, and Rex Walters to join Stan Van Gundy’s staff, according to a team press release.

The addition of Beyer was previously reported and comes as no surprise. Beyer has a long history with Van Gundy, serving as an assistant in Orlando and Detroit for a combined nine seasons. He was on the Kings’ staff last season.

Hill was an assistant with the Clippers the past two seasons. Walters had a stint on Van Gundy’s staff in Detroit and served as an assistant at Wake Forest last season.

In another significant development, Van Gundy has promoted former WNBA great Teresa Weatherspoon to the staff. She was a two-way player development coach last season in New Orleans.

Longtime NBA players Corey Brewer and Beno Udrih have been hired as player development coaches. Fred Vinson has been retained as an assistant, while Darnell Lazare will remain as a player development coach.

Bulls To Give Valentine Qualifying Offer, Let Dunn Become UFA

November 16th, 2020 at 4:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls will extend a qualifying offer to swingman Denzel Valentine, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic tweets, but won’t do the same for guard Kris Dunn, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson (Twitter link).

Valentine’s qualifying offer is worth $4,642,800 and Chicago’s decision will make him a restricted free agent. Dunn’s QO is $7,091,457 and by making him an unrestricted free agent, the Bulls rid themselves of his $16,044,021 cap hold. Dunn’s QO would have been identical to Valentine’s if he hadn’t narrowly met the “starter criteria.”

Valentine’s career was marred by a serious ankle injury which caused him to miss the entire 2018/19 season. He appeared in 36 games last season, including five starts, and averaged 6.8 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 13.6 MPG.

Chicago’s decision displays confidence that Valentine can regain the form he showed in 2017/18, his second NBA season, when he started 77 games and averaged 10.2 PPG while making 38.6% of his 3-point tries.

Dunn posted averages 7.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 3.4 APG in ’19/20 and was one of the league’s best defenders before a knee injury ended his season early. Dunn’s days in Chicago were numbered once the team drafted Coby White and signed Tomas Satoransky last season.

The fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft by Minnesota, Dunn was traded after his rookie season to the Bulls in the Jimmy Butler blockbuster. He had a disappointing run with the Bulls but he’s expected to have several bidders for his services, including the Clippers, according to Johnson.

Clippers Officially Announce Coaching Staff

November 16th, 2020 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have officially announced Tyronn Lue‘s coaching staff for the 2020/21 season, confirming today in a press release that former Heat assistant Dan Craig has come aboard as L.A.’s associate head coach.

The team has also hired Kenny Atkinson, Chauncey Billups, Larry Drew, and former Bulls assistant Roy Rogers as assistant coaches. Rogers, who was let go by Chicago earlier this fall, reportedly drew interest from Doc Rivers in Philadelphia, but will instead join Rivers’ old team.

Previous reports had indicated that Craig, Atkinson, Billups, and Drew would be part of Lue’s staff.

Cam Hodges, Shaun Fein, Beau Levesque, and Dahntay Jones – who played for Lue in Cleveland in 2016 and 2017 – will also be part of the new-look staff in various coaching and player development roles, according to the team. Additionally, L.A. retained assistants Jeremy Castleberry and Brendan O’Connor.

“We have assembled a strong and experienced group of coaches with diverse backgrounds and perspectives,” Lue said in a statement. “They will provide our players with every opportunity to improve individually and excel as a team. As coaches, their skillsets are different, but they are all great teachers with a passion for player development, who understand how to impart their knowledge. I couldn’t be more excited to get on the court with this group.”

Trade Rumors: Westbrook, Hornets, Holiday, Gordon

November 16th, 2020 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The first major domino of the NBA offseason has fallen, as the Thunder and Suns are set to finalize a deal that will send All-Star guard Chris Paul to Phoenix.

Kelly Oubre is one of the key pieces headed to Oklahoma City in that swap, and according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7FM (Twitter link), the Suns felt as if Oubre was expendable not only due to the emergence of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, but because they didn’t think they’d end up re-signing Oubre in free agency in 2021.

Meanwhile, while Paul is on board with being dealt to the Suns, Marc Berman of The New York Post hears that CP3’s top preference would have been a move to the Clippers. The veteran point guard had “mixed feelings” about a possible deal to the Knicks, Berman adds.

As we wait for more trade agreements to be reached, here are a few of the latest rumors from around the NBA:

The Hornets appear to be the most likely landing spot for Russell Westbrook, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who writes that team owner Michael Jordan wants to acquire the former MVP. However, sources tell O’Connor that Charlotte won’t put the No. 3 overall pick on the table in an offer to the Rockets.
The Mavericks aren’t involved in the Jrue Holiday sweepstakes for now, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who tweets that the Pelicans prefer to trade Holiday to an Eastern Conference team. Mike Singer of The Denver Post notes (via Twitter) that New Orleans’ apparent desire to send Holiday to the East might be posturing to try to drive up the price for a team like the Nuggets.
Asked today about trade rumors involving Aaron Gordon, Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman confirmed there have been “a lot of calls” on the forward (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel). However, he added that there’s an “amazing amount of misinformation that circulates and is unfounded.” A report last week suggested Orlando was trying to move up in the draft from No. 15 by attaching Gordon to the pick.
In case you missed it, James Harden is rumored to be seeking a trade out of Houston.

Los Angeles Notes: Bradley, Mannion, DeRozan, Westbrook

November 13th, 2020 at 6:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Avery Bradley, who has a decision to make on his player option, is changing reps and plans to sign with Charles Briscoe, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The Lakers guard, who chose not to play during the restart, can become an unrestricted free agent if he declines the $5MM in the final year of his contract. Bradley averaged 8.6 PPG last season and started 44 of 49 games before play was halted in March. He turns 30 later this month.

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

The Lakers, who hold the No. 28 pick in Wednesday’s draft, worked out University of Arizona point man Nico Mannion on Tuesday in Arizona, Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times tweets. GM Rob Pelinka was among the Lakers’ reps who attended the workout. Mannion, who averaged 14.0 PPG and 5.3 APG as a freshman last season, is currently ranked No. 25 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
The Lakers are reportedly interested in Spurs swingman DeMar DeRozan despite his $27.7MM cap hit and Jordan Greer of Sporting News believes he would be a good fit. DeRozan’s ability as a playmaker would give the Lakers another proven scorer when LeBron James and Anthony Davis aren’t sharing the court. DeRozan’s defensive shortcomings could be masked by a combination of the coaching staff’s schemes and Anthony Davis‘ shot-blocking, Greer adds.
Russell Westbrook would give the Clippers a third star but they shouldn’t pursue a deal for the disgruntled Rockets guard, Jovan Buha of The Athletic opines. Westbrook is a ball-dominant guard whose efficiency has waned in recent seasons, Buha notes. He’s not an off-the-ball threat, as he made just 25.8% of his 3-point attempts last season, allowing defenders to sag off him. Trading for his contract would also force the Clippers to gut their roster to match salaries, Buha said.

Clock Ticks On Clippers Free Agents

November 11th, 2020 at 9:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Clippers‘ front office, piloted by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, will face some important choices once the offseason kicks off in earnest next week, writes Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register. Forwards Montrezl Harrell, Marcus Morris, and JaMychal Green, as well as reserve point guard Reggie Jackson, are all unrestricted free agents.

The Clippers may look to make an upgrade from Jackson. Lakers reserve point guard Rajon Rondo, who is expected to opt-out of his $2.7MM player option this summer, has been discussed as a candidate. The team might also make a bigger move, as Rockets All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, a Long Beach native and former teammate of Clippers star forward Paul George, has recently sought a trade out of Houston.

Both the Lakers and the Clippers will kick off the 2020/21 NBA season without any fans at their home arena, the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, due to current COVID-19 restrictions on indoor gatherings in LA County, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register.

Draft Updates: Ball, Nesmith, Green, Nnaji, Hornets, More

November 11th, 2020 at 11:45am CST by Luke Adams

With one week to go until the 2020 NBA draft, we’re continuing to get conflicting information on LaMelo Ball‘s outlook. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said that most front office are operating under the assumption that Ball will be the No. 1 pick. Today, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes that league sources have begun speculating that the Timberwolves have decided to draft Ball, assuming they keep the top selection.

However, there’s still plenty of chatter pointing in another direction. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said this week during an appearance on The Jump (video link) that many of the executives he has spoken to think Ball could slide a little on draft night. Jeremy Woo of SI.com has heard similar whispers, writing that there’s an increasing belief that Ball could fall into the 4-6 range of the draft.

As we wait to see which reports pan out, here are several more draft-related updates:

Vanderbilt sharpshooter Aaron Nesmith told reporters today that he has worked out for the Pelicans, Suns, Spurs, Heat, and Pistons so far, and has a workout lined up with the Celtics (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington). Nesmith is considered likely to be drafted in the back half of the lottery.
Arizona guard Josh Green has worked out for the Nuggets, while his college teammate Zeke Nnaji has had workouts for the Nuggets, Clippers, and Jazz, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Green’s workout with Utah and Nnaji’s workout with Miami – both mentioned by Rankin – were previously reported.
Count K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link) among those hearing more and more talk around the NBA linking the Hornets to Onyeka Okongwu. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer previously reported that Charlotte is eyeing Okongwu, but ESPN said the team hasn’t seriously considered picking any prospects outside the top tier of Ball, James Wiseman, and Anthony Edwards.
ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony, Mike Schmitz, and Kevin Pelton share their mock draft detailing which player each team in the first round should pick.

Harden, Westbrook Have Expressed Concern About Rockets’ Direction

November 11th, 2020 at 8:11am CST by Luke Adams

Following the departures of head coach Mike D’Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey, Rockets stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook have expressed concern – in discussions with their agents and Houston’s front office – about the direction of the franchise, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said last month that there are “no plans” to blow up the roster and that the team remains fully committed to contending for a title. New GM Rafael Stone echoed that sentiment, recently indicating that Houston is “all in” on its quest for a championship.

Despite those assurances, Harden and Westbrook have conveyed some concerns about how long the Rockets’ championship window will be open, according to ESPN’s duo. While neither player has asked for a trade, the organization is worried that their commitment to staying in Houston long-term may be wavering and believes the idea of the two guards requesting trades has become a “plausible eventual possibility,” per Woj and MacMahon.

The two former MVPs are each under contract through at least 2021/22, with $47MM player options for the ’22/23 season.

As Wojnarowski and MacMahon detail, Harden has been in discussions with the Rockets’ front office about potential roster moves this offseason, which isn’t new — he has “expressed similar urgency” about making moves to improve the club’s title chances during previous offseasons. He and Westbrook were also both consulted during Houston’s coaching search and were on board with the hiring of new head coach Stephen Silas, sources tell ESPN.

Still, while Morey was aggressive about upgrading the roster in past years, his moves have left the Rockets will little ammunition available for future deals. Houston is the only NBA team without a pick in the 2020 draft. The team has also traded away multiple first-round selections (2024 and 2026) and agreed to swap first-rounders in other years (2021 and 2025).

ESPN’s story on the Rockets’ stars comes on the heels of a report from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (video link), who suggested on The Mismatch podcast this week that teams around the NBA believe Westbrook “could be had” in a trade.

O’Connor says he has heard the Clippers and Knicks are among the teams with interest in Westbrook, though he cautions there’s no guarantee anything will materialize on that front.

Diaz Hired To Oversee Planning Of New Arena

November 9th, 2020 at 7:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With the Clippers preparing to move to a new arena in 2024, the organization has announced several hires who will help with the transition, according to a team press release. Most notably, Alex Diaz has been named Chief Operating Officer. He will primarily oversee the operations planning of Inglewood Basketball & Entertainment Center and provide operational council for the Clippers, Honey Training Center and the LA Forum, which was acquired earlier this year by team owner Steve Ballmer.