- Aron Baynes is believed to be on the Clippers‘ radar, and Pincus notes that Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently suggested a Baynes/Ivica Zubac swap between the Suns and Clips. It’s unclear if the two sides have actually discussed such a deal or if it would interest either club, but Pincus suggests that Baynes would be a better complement to Montrezl Harrell.
- Speaking of Harrell, the Clippers have had internal discussions about his future, but have yet to make any decisions on that front, per Pincus. Harrell will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
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- The Los Angeles Times’ Andrew Greif reports that Clippers forward Paul George believes he has pinpointed the cause of his recent shooting slump, after analyzing hours of game film. “A lot of the plays I had last year before the [shoulder] injury started, was through contact and finishing through defenders,” George said George. “This year I’ve been shying away from the contact. So it’s just getting it through my head that I’m fine with the physicality.”
- Since being called up from the Clippers’ Ontario G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers, on December 1, point guard Derrick Walton Jr. has been trying to maximize his opportunity on one of the NBA’s best teams, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register reports. The 24-year-old Walton scored a career-high 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field in a 105-87 Clippers win over Sacramento Tuesday.
Guard Darren Collison is mulling a February return to the NBA and would prefer to play with either the Lakers or Clippers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Collison retired after last season for religious reasons.
Collision was projected to get offers in the $8-10MM range in free agency over the summer, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Both Los Angeles teams have full rosters and would need to shed a player to sign the veteran point man. Either team could ink him for the prorated minimum and the Lakers also have a $1.75MM Disabled Player Exception which expires on March 10, Marks adds (Twitter link).
Collison averaged 11.2 PPG and 6.0 APG for Indiana last season. He’s averaged 12.5 PPG and 5.0 APG in 29.4 MPG over 708 career regular-season games.
Collison chose to retire in order to devote more time to his Jehovah’s Witness ministry and spend more time with his family. He was also working with Pro’s Vision, a training company that works primarily with young athletes.
The Lakers have a crowd at point guard, though no standout. That group includes Alex Caruso, Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley. The Clippers also have a number of point options, including Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Terance Mann and Derrick Walton Jr.
While non-guaranteed NBA contracts don’t technically become fully guaranteed until January 10, January 7 is really the day to watch. Because players have to clear waivers before January 10 to avoid having their salaries locked in for the rest of 2019/20, a team will have to release a player by next Tuesday at the latest to avoid guaranteeing his contract.
As our list of non-guaranteed contracts by team shows, there are a number of players around the NBA who don’t have fully guaranteed deals, though many are in no danger of being waived by next Tuesday. It’s not as if the Lakers are seriously considering whether or not to guarantee Dwight Howard‘s minimum salary. Ditto for the Jazz and Royce O’Neale, and several others players on that list.
However, there are at least a handful of players worth keeping an eye on as next Tuesday’s deadline nears. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of them:
Marquese Chriss, F/C (Warriors): A handful of injuries opened a path for Chriss to get regular rotation minutes this season and he has made the most of the opportunity, averaging 7.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 33 games (17.2 MPG). He’s done enough on the court to earn a full salary guarantee, but retaining him would limit the hard-capped Warriors‘ flexibility at the back of their roster. Golden State’s decision on Chriss will likely come down to how confident the team is that minimum-salary players like Alec Burks and Willie Cauley-Stein can be moved without taking back money in return — trading those vets would open up room to promote two-way players Ky Bowman and Damion Lee while keeping Chriss.- Javonte Green, F (Celtics): Green has been solid in limited minutes so far, shooting 68.4% on two-point attempts for the season. He has also appeared in every one of the Celtics‘ games since November 25. Still, he has played double-digit minutes just four times during that stretch, and waiving him would open up a spot on Boston’s roster, increasing the club’s flexibility at the trade deadline and possibly on the buyout market. If the Celtics are confident in Green’s ability to contribute off the bench, they’ll hang onto him and worry later about whether or not they need to open a roster spot.
- Derrick Walton, PG (Clippers): After playing just nine total minutes in the Clippers‘ first 19 games, Walton has appeared in 13 of the club’s last 15 contests. He’s still not a crucial part of the rotation, but he has performed well when called upon, so the Clippers will face the same decision the Celtics will — does opening up a roster spot in advance of trade and buyout season make more sense than locking in their 15th man’s 2019/20 salary for the year?
- The Rockets’ non-guaranteed players: The Rockets have a full 15-man roster, but three of those 15 players only have partial guarantees. Houston could part ways with Gary Clark, Isaiah Hartenstein, and/or Ben McLemore by January 7 and avoid taking on their full cap hits, which might appeal to a Houston team barely over the tax threshold. However, McLemore is playing heavy minutes and seems safe, while Clark has been seeing more regular playing time lately too. Up until this past weekend, I would’ve viewed Hartenstein as the odd man out, but he had his two best games of the season on Saturday and Sunday, averaging 14.0 PPG and 11.0 RPG on 72.2% shooting. Houston may simply hang onto all three players.
- The Wizards’ non-guaranteed players: Like the Rockets, the Wizards are currently carrying three players on non-guaranteed contracts. Washington’s situation is a little different though, since two of the team’s non-guaranteed players – Gary Payton II and Johnathan Williams – were recently added using the hardship exception. The Wizards, who have 17 players on standard contracts, will have to get back down to 15 as the roster gets healthier. Whether that happens before or after January 7, the club will likely eventually part ways with two players out of the group that includes Payton, Williams, and Justin Robinson, unless they trade or cut a player with a guaranteed salary. For now, Payton looks like the least expendable of the three.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley is expected to miss a few games with a right wrist sprain, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
The pesky defender was injured during a layup attempt against Utah on Saturday. He left the court after falling on his right arm, returned to the locker room for X-rays, then played in the fourth quarter.
The Clippers have already ruled out Beverley for Tuesday afternoon’s game at Sacramento. Afterward the game Saturday, coach Doc Rivers said Beverley was having difficulty grasping the basketball.
Beverley, who is averaging 8.0 PPG and 3.3 APG, is in the first year of a three-year, $40MM contract he signed in July.
Beverley is often the last option on the floor and doesn’t put up big numbers but his impact goes beyond the stat sheet. He sets the defensive tone for a team with championship aspirations. The Clippers have been missing at least one rotation piece in all but one game this season due to either injuries or load management.
- The Clippers’ proposed arena will contribute to a “significant and unavoidable” increase in traffic, noise and pollutants, according to a draft environmental impact report, Jason Henry of the Orange County Register relays. The report found there will be a significant impact to intersections and freeways during most of the venue’s events, regardless of any improvements. The Clippers are hoping to construct a new arena that will open in 2024.
Jared Dudley isn’t one of the NBA’s best players, but he’s one of the league’s best interview subjects, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic, who notes that Dudley is willing to talk to virtually any reporter about virtually any subject.
In his own Q&A with Dudley, Oram asked the Lakers‘ forward about his music tastes, his favorite current teammate, his least favorite NBA cities, how he spends his off days, his biggest fears, and much more.
If you have an Athletic subscription, the conversation is definitely worth checking out in full. But here are a few of Dudley’s more noteworthy comments:
On Kyle Kuzma‘s mini-controversy related to his trainer’s anti-LeBron James comments:
“Not only have I talked to him (about it), other players have talked to him. So when it comes to Kuz, this has been good for him, his maturity and having to deal with it. When I heard he was meeting with the media (on Saturday), that’s something I would do. I would have gone to social media right then and there. ‘He don’t speak for me. Yes I’ve trained with him, but this is where I view it at.'”
On his least favorite current or former teammate:
“I don’t get along with Blake Griffin now. When I was with him I didn’t have a bad relationship with him. That team (the 2013/14 Clippers) was the most toxic team. It was weird because it was a bipolar type team. We were somewhat cool off the floor; we weren’t cool on the floor.
“I just don’t like his personality and attitude. I think he’s a great basketball player and I think you can differentiate the two. It’s easy to be the greatest teammate when you’re winning. How about when you’re losing? How about when you’re down 20? And that’s the biggest thing with that team. It was the biggest front-running team. You’re up 20, everything’s good, throwing lobs. Down 20, people want to fight, bickering. I don’t want to say my least favorite … That’s a teammate right now that I don’t talk (to), don’t get along (with), words aren’t exchanged on the court, yada yada.”
On how he has weighed taking the most lucrative contract offer vs. playing for a contender:
“I never have taken a discount because, for one, I’m never going to get that back. I never believed on that. That being said, I signed a one-year deal (with the Lakers). I might have potentially been able to get a two-year deal somewhere else, but I wanted to come to the Lakers because this not only benefits me this year to win a championship but long-term. Media, dealing with you guys. If I try to become a head coach or a GM, I’ve now played with LeBron, I’ve been on a championship-caliber team. It helps my whole resume going forward.”
On the first change he’d make for the Knicks if he were in position to do so:
“I’d be getting rid of that practice facility in Westchester. Nobody wants to live there, no one wants to commute there. You have to get as close to the city as possible. That’s why Brooklyn got Kevin Durant. I told DeAndre Jordan who told Kevin Durant: The (Nets’) practice facility is two minutes from (Barclays Center). They didn’t even know that. I lived in the city. It took me 12 minutes to get to the practice facility. That’s a huge bonus. People bash the Knicks, but I definitely wouldn’t bash the Knicks. I would have gone there if the Lakers wouldn’t have offered me, or Brooklyn. If it was my third or fourth option, sure.”
11:40am: The NBA will investigate Dedmon’s comments to determine whether he’ll be fined, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. As noted below, the league’s CBA prohibits players from publicly requesting a trade.
8:55am: Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Friday that Kings center Dewayne Dedmon, who has fallen out of the team’s rotation after signing a three-year, $41MM contract in the summer, wants to be dealt. Speaking on Sunday to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, Dedmon made no effort to deny Charania’s report or downplay his desire to be moved.
“I would like to be traded,” Dedmon confirmed. “I haven’t been playing, so I would like to go somewhere where my talents are appreciated.”
Dedmon, 30, was coming off two solid seasons in Atlanta when he reached unrestricted free agency this past offseason. In 2018/19, he averaged a career-best 10.8 PPG to go along with 7.5 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG, and a .382 3PT%. That performance made him a popular target on the open market and resulted in a lucrative contract offer from Sacramento.
However, Dedmon was outplayed by bigs like Richaun Holmes and Nemanja Bjelica in the early going this season. With Marvin Bagley III and Harrison Barnes also in the frontcourt mix, head coach Luke Walton hasn’t found minutes for the former Hawk as of late — Dedmon, who is making just 41.9% of his shots from the field this season, has only played seven total minutes since December 6, and is frustrated that he hasn’t gotten more of a chance to reverse his slow start.
“I’m not the only person struggling with my shot, so if that’s a factor then it’s kind of crazy,” Dedmon told Anderson. “If you’re not allowed to shoot through your slumps, I don’t know how you’re supposed to make shots.”
Dedmon is earning $13MM+ this season and has another fully guaranteed year left on his deal, so the Kings may still want to get him back into the rotation at some point to rebuild his value and salvage their investment. However, the veteran big man sounds skeptical that things will turn around for him in Sacramento.
“I definitely appreciate (the Kings’ investment), but I want to be somewhere where I get to play,” Dedmon said. “That’s my biggest thing. I’m trying to play and I’ve been told I’m no longer in the rotation here, so there’s really nothing to wait on.”
According to Anderson, the Kings are listening to offers for Dedmon and there may be a market for his services, but the front office will insist that any deal must make sense for the team’s future. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports recently speculated that teams like the Clippers, Celtics, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Hawks could be fits for Dedmon. Anderson adds the Mavericks and Magic to that list of hypothetical suitors.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits players from making public trade demands, so we’ll see if the league responds to Dedmon’s comments. Anthony Davis was fined $50K last winter when agent Rich Paul publicly requested a trade.
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Warriors have assigned forward Alen Smailagic to the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, announcing the news on social media tonight. Smailagic has posted averages of 16.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest in 11 games with Santa Cruz this season.
- The Wizards have assigned forward Admiral Schofield and guard Justin Robinson to the Capital City Go-Go, the team announced (Twitter link). The Go-Go hosted the Windy City Bulls tonight, with both Schofield and Robinson making appearances.
- The Clippers assigned center Mfiondu Kabengele and guard Terance Mann to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, according to the team’s public relations department. Agua Caliente will play the Memphis Hustle on Monday.
Bagley, the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, has averaged 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 23.6 minutes per game in nine contests for the Kings this season. Sacramento has upcoming games scheduled against Denver on Sunday and the Clippers on Tuesday, followed by a three-game homestand starting January 2.
- The Clippers are believed to have interest in Bulls forward Thaddeus Young with the February 6 trade deadline nearly a month away, writes Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, citing anonymous NBA sources. Los Angeles could include Maurice Harkless in a deal ahead of the deadline, with Harkless making $11MM in the final season of his contract. “I just focus on what I’ve got going on here. That’s the only thing I can control,” Harkless said. “If I let myself worry about that stuff. … Man, I’ve been in the league long enough where I know how it goes. If it comes to that day, I’ll deal with it when I get there.” Rival executives believe the Clippers are targeting a physical center ahead of the deadline, according to Woike.