Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Westbrook, Reaves, Murray, Suns FA Targets

June 29th, 2024 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Although Russell Westbrook is exercising his player option to guarantee his $4MM salary for the 2024/25 season, his return to the Clippers isn’t a certainty, a league source tells Law Murray and Jenna West of The Athletic, who write that there’s a chance “the player and team move on” this offseason. The Clippers have been linked to other veteran point guards in recent weeks, including Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Although the Lakers still had some interest in Dejounte Murray before Atlanta agreed to trade him to New Orleans, L.A. remained unwilling to give up Austin Reaves as part of its package and was out of the running as a result, sources tell Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and West of The Athletic.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) names Monte Morris and Aaron Holiday as a pair of potential free agent point guard targets to watch for the Suns. Phoenix will be limited to minimum-salary offers, which means Holiday may be a more viable option than Morris. Gambadoro adds that previously reported target Kris Dunn would be a logical fit for the Suns, but says he’s not sure if Dunn will be “gettable.”
Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports shares his Suns free agency primer, breaking down potential options for the team on the free agent and trade markets and detailing the restrictions the front office will face as it navigates the second tax apron.

Clippers’ Russell Westbrook Exercising 2024/25 Player Option

June 29th, 2024 at 10:02am CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook is exercising his 2024/25 player option to return to the Clippers, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As our player option decisions tracker shows, Westbrook will earn just over $4MM next season. His contract is fully guaranteed. June 29 is the deadline for player options for the ’24/25 season.

The 35-year-old guard primarily came off the bench last season for Los Angeles, averaging 11.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.1 SPG on .454/.273/.688 shooting in 68 regular season games (22.5 MPG). He struggled in the Clips’ first-round playoff loss to Dallas, averaging 6.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.7 APG and 1.2 SPG on .260/.235/.615 shooting in six games (19.0 MPG).

Either Westbrook was content to return to L.A. or he wasn’t confident he could exceed his $4MM option as an unrestricted free agent (or perhaps both). For what it’s worth, the veteran’s minimum for a player with Westbrook’s experience is projected to be just over $3.3MM in ’24/25.

A Long Beach native who played two years of college ball at UCLA, Westbrook is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history, making nine All-Star and All-NBA teams over the course of his 16-year career. He has led the league in points per game twice, assists per game three times, won All-Star game MVP twice, and was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team in 2021.

While he’s clearly past his peak, Westbrook still brings his trademark energy and tenacity every time he steps on the court.

Marc Stein reported last week that Westbrook exercising his option might not preclude the Clippers from exploring other options at backup point guard, with Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry among the names who have been linked to L.A.

Western Notes: Boston Jr., Holmes, Grizzlies Draft, Pelicans, Collier

June 29th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Clippers are not issuing a qualifying offer to 22-year-old wing Brandon Boston Jr., Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (Twitter link). That means Boston will become an unrestricted free agent.

Boston was the No. 51 overall pick in the 2021 draft, spending each of his first three seasons in the league with the Clippers. He played well in limited action, averaging 6.2 points in just 12.9 minutes across 105 appearances with Los Angeles from 2021-24. Per 36 minutes, his career averages jump to 17.4 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Still, Boston never broke through into the main rotation with the Clippers. There’s a chance he remains in Los Angeles on a new deal, but if not, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a younger team take a flier on him.

The No. 4 ranked prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, Boston played one season at Kentucky in 2020/21, averaging 11.5 points in 25 games.

We have more from the Western Conference:

It’s easy to envision how rookie DaRon Holmes II can fit on the Nuggets, with his rim protection and ability to stretch the floor standing out as key elements of his game, The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando writes. Holmes will man the second unit for now, giving the team a breath of fresh air there, but he might be a starter down the line. “I definitely see [playing the four] in the future, especially the way the game is now,” Holmes said. “You look at the Grizzlies. They just got Zach Edey. They’re probably gonna play him and [Jaren Jackson Jr.] together. I think that’s perfectly fine for me. Small-ball five will be good at times. I don’t think that will be an all-time thing for me. I’m probably not gonna start at the five if I’m gonna be a starter [someday].”
The Grizzlies draft selections were all highly coveted by the franchise, Damichael Cole of Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Outside of No. 9 overall pick Edey, Memphis selected Jaylen Wells and acquired Cam Spencer in the second round. “To come out of day two of the draft with both of them joining us, that’s an outcome that we thought was zero chance of,” general manager Zach Kleiman said.
At the end of the season, Pelicans general manager David Griffin said changes would be necessary so the team could keep up with the rest of the West. Trading for Dejounte Murray shows Griffin is backing up those words, William Guillory of The Athletic writes, but there’s more work to be done. The roster is unbalanced, with a lack of frontcourt depth standing out as an issue. Guillory writes that trading Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum in a deal for a starting center would be a sensible move, with Ingram the likelier option due to his trade value and contract status. Some trade options could include Deandre Ayton, Brook Lopez and Mitchell Robinson, though it’s hard to gauge whether opposing teams would have interest in extending Ingram.
The Jazz played the waiting game in the draft after considering options to trade up, and USC guard Isaiah Collier fell into their lap at pick No. 29, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “As the draft started to fall, there was a very high percentage chance on our probability markers that the guys that we liked were going to be there [at 29],” general manager Justin Zanik said. “So we are absolutely thrilled that Isaiah was available for us to take.”

Clippers’ P.J. Tucker Opts In For 2024/25

June 28th, 2024 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Clippers forward P.J. Tucker is exercising his player option for 2024/25, locking in his $11.54MM salary for next season, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Confirming the news, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets that Tucker has formally picked up that option.

Long viewed as a valuable role player on contending teams, Tucker found himself out of the Clippers’ rotation for much of the 2023/24 season after being acquired along with James Harden in the fall. He appeared in just 28 regular season games for Los Angeles, averaging 1.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per contest, and wasn’t used until Game 5 of the club’s first-round playoff series vs. Dallas.

During his best years in Houston, Tucker was a tough, switchable frontcourt defender who had the quickness to guard out to the perimeter and the strength to match up against bigger players. He was also a threat to knock down corner threes on offense.

Now 39 years old, Tucker is no longer as effective a three-and-D contributor and doesn’t command serious attention from opposing defenses — he averaged just 1.6 shot attempts per game in 2023/24. As such, it’s not a surprise that he decided to opt in, guaranteeing a payday of $11.54MM.

It’s unclear whether or not Tucker will open the season on the Clippers’ roster. Now that he has picked up his option, he looks like a logical trade candidate for Los Angeles (like Reggie Jackson was in Denver after opting in). But the team has a lot of moving parts this offseason, including figuring out whether Paul George, Harden, and/or Russell Westbrook will be back, so there may not be resolution on Tucker right away.

Warriors, Paul Agree To Push Guarantee Date Back To Sunday

June 28th, 2024 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors and Chris Paul have agreed to push back his salary guarantee deadline from Friday to Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Paul’s $30MM salary for 2024/25 will now become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 30 rather than June 28. The move will give Golden State a couple more days to continue exploring trades involving Paul’s expiring contract.

Paul, who turned 39 in May, remained productive in 2023/24, averaging 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game in 58 appearances (18 starts) for the Warriors. He posted a shooting line of .441/.371/.827.

While those are solid numbers for a backup point guard, they don’t warrant a $30MM investment. Still, rather than simply waiving the 12-time All-Star, the Warriors have been scouring the trade market to see if they can use his expiring salary to accommodate a trade.

The NBA’s salary-matching rules only count the guaranteed portion of a player’s cap hit for outgoing purposes in a trade (his incoming value for a trade partner would be his full $30MM), so in order to use CP3 as a trade chip, Golden State will have to partially or fully guaranteed the contract. That scenario would benefit Paul, who wouldn’t make any of that $30MM otherwise if he’s waived, so he has some incentive to lend the Warriors a hand by giving them more time to find a deal.

Paul George is one possible trade candidate who has been linked to the Warriors this week, with Marc Stein reporting on Substack that Golden State has been “prioritizing the pursuit of George above all other business.” The Clippers forward would have to pick up his 2024/25 player option and request a trade for that to be a feasible possibility.

What happens with Paul could have an impact on the Warriors’ negotiations with Klay Thompson. The team will be hard-capped at the second tax apron in 2024/25 after agreeing to send out cash in a trade on Thursday, so there may not be room under that apron to acquire another player with a significant salary and then re-sign Thompson.

Clippers To Sign Trentyn Flowers

June 28th, 2024 at 10:15am CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers plan to sign free agent forward Trentyn Flowers, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

It’s unclear what type of contract the 19-year-old will receive, but Flowers was considered a potential late second-round pick (No. 56) on ESPN’s big board before going undrafted in 2024. He was the fourth-best prospect available on the open market, per ESPN.

Considering he was called by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, owner Steve Ballmer and head coach Tyronn Lue (Twitter video link), it seems highly likely that Flowers received more than a summer league deal, but again, the terms have yet to be reported.

An American prospect who spent the 2023/24 season in the NBL’s Next Stars program, Flowers averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds on .458/.421/.613 shooting in 18 games (12.7 minutes) with the Adelaide 36ers. Flowers is considered a top-tier athlete with scoring upside, but the rest of his game isn’t very well rounded at this stage of his development.

Free Agent Rumors: KCP, George, Thompson, Bridges, More

June 28th, 2024 at 6:58am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is declining his 2024/25 player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent, appears more likely than not to switch teams this offseason, Marc Stein writes at Substack, citing league sources.

Stein, who has previously mentioned the Sixers and Magic as potential suitors for Caldwell-Pope, once again names them as teams who are well-positioned to make runs at the 31-year-old if they so choose, noting that Denver has luxury tax and apron concerns to consider. The veteran wing is considered to be a “strong possibility” for Orlando, per Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

According to Stein, the Mavericks are another potential suitor to watch for Caldwell-Pope, with league sources saying there’s mutual interest between the two sides. However, Dallas is operating over the cap and would need to make a sign-and-trade deal to make a competitive contract offer to Caldwell-Pope. There’s a sense that the Nuggets won’t have interest in accommodating a sign-and-trade with a conference rival, Stein writes, even if it means losing their starting shooting guard for nothing.

Here are a few more free agent rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Within a look at Paul George‘s potential free agency, Amick and Slater of The Athletic confirm that the Warriors‘ interest in the Clippers star is “legitimate” if he decides to go the opt-in-and-trade route instead of declining his 2024/25 player option. The Nuggets also recently had interest in George in that scenario, but don’t appear prepared to pursue a deal that would see them give up Michael Porter Jr. and “significant” draft capital, per The Athletic’s duo. For what it’s worth, Denver only has one tradable future first-round pick.
Despite a report from their colleague Shams Charania indicating that the Sixers‘ interest in pursuing George has “waned,” Amick and Slater cite a source who advises not to rule out Philadelphia entirely. The 76ers could offer George a maximum-salary deal using their cap room if he reaches the open market.
The Sixers also have interest in Klay Thompson, who continues to have little contact with the Warriors as he nears free agency, according to Amick and Slater, who add that the Nuggets also have Thompson on their list of potential replacements if they lose Caldwell-Pope. It’s hard to see how Denver, whose team salary is right at the luxury tax line, could make Thompson a strong offer unless more cost-cutting moves are made.
Discussing unrestricted free agent forward Miles Bridges, Hornets head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson confirmed reporting that has suggested the team wants to re-sign Bridges. “I’ve made it very clear to Miles that we want him to remain as a Hornet,” Peterson said (story via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer).
Isaiah Hartenstein and Nic Claxton top John Hollinger’s list of free agent centers at The Athletic by a wide margin over the rest of the class, with Hollinger’s BORD$ formula favoring Hartenstein. Claxton already has a four-year deal lined up to remain in Brooklyn, making Hartenstein the clear top option on the open market.

Pacific Notes: George, Harden, Bronny, Knecht, Carter, Dunn

June 27th, 2024 at 10:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Thursday night, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the Clippers “love” Paul George and “very much want to retain” him, but acknowledged that the team doesn’t have full control over the process, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. George holds a $48.8MM player option for 2024/25. If he doesn’t get a contract offer he likes from the Clippers, he could turn down that option to become a free agent — or pick it up and request a trade.

“We hope Paul’s decision is to be here. He’s been awesome,” Frank said. “He’s been an All-Star. He’s one of the best two-way players in the league. He’s a terrific person. He’s got great family, so we hope he’s here but also respect the fact that if he chooses to opt out, that’s his choice. He’s earned it and we’ll see how things play out.”

In addition to George, the Clippers have another key player facing unrestricted free agency, with James Harden set to reach the open market on Sunday if he doesn’t agree to a new deal before then. Frank said talks with Harden’s camp so far have been productive.

“We think James has been terrific for us,” Frank said. “We hope he’s had a great experience while he has been here and we hope he decides to continue to be here. … We very much want James to remain a Clipper and hope he decides to do the same.”

Re-signing both George and Harden would likely make the Clippers a second-apron team for a second straight season, with more punitive roster-building restrictions taking effect this offseason for clubs above the second tax apron. Frank admitted that’s a factor the organization can’t ignore as it weighs potential roster moves.

“This is a business and the reality of the new CBA impacts teams like us,” he said, according to Youngmisuk. “When your better players are in their 30s and you’re trying to build a sustainable roster, it impacts it. Like if there was no CBA, with (Clippers owner) Steve Ballmer, it would be carte blanche. With the new CBA, it’s not even about the money as it is how are you going to build a sustainable roster, maintain your tools to have transactional flexibility? And with that comes really, really hard decisions.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Discussing the Lakers‘ decision to draft Bronny James with the No. 55 pick on Thursday, head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka praised the former USC guard’s character, work ethic, and three-and-D potential, and said it would be “magical” to see him and his father LeBron James play alongside one another next season, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. While it’s safe to assume LeBron is happy with the pick, McMenamin says star big man Anthony Davis supported it too. “He’s very good defensively,” Davis said of Bronny. “He can read the floor very well. I think he’s a really good play-maker. I saw him work out a couple times besides the (Klutch Sports) pro day and working with a big — his reads, reading the defense, making the right passes — that was really impressive to me. I think he’s going to be fine, man.”
The Lakers were thrilled to land Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht at No. 17 on the first day of the draft, McMenamin writes in a separate story for ESPN. “If we would have had the 10th pick in the draft, we would have taken him. So, to get that value at 17 is really extraordinary,” Pelinka said, adding that new head coach J.J. Redick immediately started drawing up plays for the sharpshooter in the Lakers’ draft room. Viewed as a potential top-10 pick, Knecht slipped due to concerns about his age (23) and defense, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
No. 13 overall pick Devin Carter is dealing with a shoulder injury and his status for Summer League is up in the air, Kings general manager Monte McNair told reporters on Wednesday. However, McNair suggested the injury isn’t a serious one, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “I think we got to get him in here and get with our doctors and just see what it is,” the Kings’ GM said. “But when we get through the draft process, our docs are confident. We’ve been in touch with his team. We’re confident it’s not a long-term issue.”
Suns general manager James Jones acknowledged that first-round pick and defensive standout Ryan Dunn has room to improve as a shooter, but expressed confidence that will be possible in Phoenix, as Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports relays (Twitter video link). “I’m confident with our staff, with (Mike Budenholzer), our coaches, that he’ll be primed to improve as a shooter,” Jones said. “If he can do that and do it quickly, I think we found a gem.”

Leonard, Haliburton, Embiid Expected To Be Ready For Team USA

June 27th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Steve Kerr expects a fully healthy roster when Team USA begins training for the Olympics next week in Las Vegas, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That means Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Sixers center Joel Embiid, who were all sidelined with injuries late in the season or during the playoffs, are likely to participate.

Right knee inflammation prevented Leonard from playing in the final eight games of the regular season and limited him to two playoff games as L.A. lost to Dallas in the first round. Kerr cautioned that there could still be a late surprise, but staff members have been in frequent contact with Leonard and they expect him to be ready for camp. Sources tell Vardon that there’s no new structural damage to Leonard’s knee, and the inflammation is the result of previous surgeries.

Haliburton suffered a strained left hamstring in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and wasn’t able to return as Indiana was swept by Boston. He was concerned about his availability for the Olympics when the injury occurred, but Vardon states that the Pacers training staff always believed he would be ready in time.

Embiid missed more than two months after meniscus surgery on his left knee in late January. He was back in time for the playoffs, but appeared to be affected by the knee during the first-round series with New York. He also experienced a mild case of Bell’s palsy, which causes weakness or paralysis in the facial muscles.

Training camp for team USA will open July 6, followed by an exhibition game against Canada four days later in Las Vegas. The team will travel to Abu Dhabi and London for more exhibition contests before heading to Paris.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to see limited action when Greece takes on the Bahamas this afternoon, tweets Harris Stavrou of SPORT24. A left calf strain forced Antetokounmpo to miss all of Milwaukee’s first-round series with Indiana. Greece has to advance through an Olympic qualifying tournament next week to earn a spot in the Summer Games.

Central Notes: Cavs, Gohlke, Bucks, Pistons, DeRozan

June 26th, 2024 at 3:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers hold the No. 20 pick in tonight’s draft and currently don’t have another selection. However, they’re actively looking to get involved in Thursday’s second round, according to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor in a subscriber-only story. Sources tell Fedor that the Cavs have had numerous talks with each team holding a second-round pick to determine the cost of moving into Thursday’s portion of the draft. Cleveland’s own second-rounder is currently owned by the Pacers.

We have more from the Central Division:

Guard Jack Gohlke recently worked out for the Bucks, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. The three-point specialist made a big splash in the NCAA Tournament when Oakland University shocked Kentucky in the opening round.
If the Bucks want to draft a center, it’s probably best to just wait and see who falls to them at No. 23 tonight, Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. Nehm doesn’t believe that packaging the No. 23 and 33 picks will be enough to make a significant move up the draft board, plus there are a number of center prospects who could be available in the latter stages of the first round.
There’s a “very high” chance the Pistons will trade the No. 5 pick and move into the back half of the lottery, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic. He views the Bulls, Grizzlies, Thunder and Trail Blazers as the most likely candidates to work out a deal for that pick. Cody Williams and Tidjane Salaun could be targeted in the back half of the lottery if Detroit moves down. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has reported that the Jazz, who have the No. 10 overall pick, might look to move into the No. 5 slot.
If Paul George leaves the Clippers, they might target Bulls free agent wing DeMar DeRozan, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. There reportedly has been little traction in talks between the Bulls and DeRozan, who will be an unrestricted free agent if those negotiations fizzle.