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Clippers Sign First-Rounder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

July 4th, 2018 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have signed 11th overall pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to his rookie contract, according to the NBA’s official transactions log. The Clips have yet to confirm the move, so the team may be waiting for fellow first-rounder Jerome Robinson to finalize his rookie deal before announcing both signings at once.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s draft rights were traded last month, as he was dealt from the Hornets to the Clippers shortly after being selected. L.A. moved up one spot from No. 12 to nab the former Kentucky point guard, sending Charlotte a pair of future second-round picks in the deal. The Hornets ended up with Miles Bridges at No. 12.

At 6’6″, Gilgeous-Alexander’s size and versatility make him attractive to NBA scouts, some of whom believe he could become the best point guard in the 2018 draft. The youngster did a little of everything during his first and only season with the Wildcats, averaging 14.4 PPG, 5.1 APG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.6 SPG with a .485/.404/.817 shooting line in 37 games (24 starts).

Assuming he signs for the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale, Gilgeous-Alexander will receive a 2018/19 salary of about $3.38MM. His four-year contract will have an overall value of nearly $17MM.

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Clippers Remain Interested In Re-Signing Harrell

July 4th, 2018 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

We heard earlier today that the Clippers, who already have veteran centers Marcin Gortat and Boban Marjanovic under contract, are exploring the idea of adding Kyle O’Quinn, having met with him on Tuesday. In addition to their pursuit of O’Quinn, the Clips also maintain interest in re-signing Montrezl Harrell, reports Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Harrell is currently a restricted free agent.

As they weight their options at center, the Clippers will also have to be wary of their roster limits. The team entered the offseason with 12 players under contract, not counting rookies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson. L.A. also reached deals with Mike Scott and Avery Bradley, increase the team’s tentative roster count to 16. Adding O’Quinn or re-signing Harrell would bump that total to 17, meaning two players would have to be waived or traded at some point.

Milos Teodosic, who has a partially guaranteed contract, and C.J. Williams, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, may be at risk of losing their roster spots with the Clippers, though that’s just my speculation.

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Clippers Meet With Kyle O’Quinn

July 4th, 2018 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank had dinner on Tuesday night in Los Angeles with free agent center Kyle O’Quinn, a source tells Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). While the two sides haven’t agreed to a deal at this point, they’ll continue to talk, Turner adds.

O’Quinn, 28, is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-best 7.1 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 77 games for the Knicks. The big man turned down a $4.26MM player option for 2018/19, preferring to test the open market rather than locking in another season in New York.

O’Quinn is an interesting target for the Clippers, who already have a pair of veteran centers – Marcin Gortat and Boban Marjanovic – on their roster, with youngster Montrezl Harrell still in the mix as a restricted free agent.

Gortat and Marjanovic are entering the final year of their respective contracts, so the Clips could view O’Quinn and/or Harrell as longer-term options at center, though the club will likely be reluctant to compromise its 2019 cap flexibility much for either player. Currently, L.A. doesn’t project to have more than about $40MM in guaranteed money on its books next summer, making the team a potential player for a max free agent or two.

Philadelphia and New Orleans have been mentioned as potential suitors for O’Quinn as well, though the Pelicans’ interest was reported before they reached a deal with Julius Randle, so it’s not clear if they’re still eyeing the former Knick. The Sixers have no cap room remaining for now, but could make a play for O’Quinn with their $4.45MM room exception.

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James Signing May Improve Clippers' Chances For Leonard

July 3rd, 2018 at 9:27pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • During an impromptu interview with TMZ, Doc Rivers explained the decision to trade his son, Austin Rivers, to the Wizards. The Clippers coach called it “the right thing for all of us” and predicts that Austin will excel in Washington.
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Thomas Robinson Drawing Interest From Clippers, Others

July 3rd, 2018 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams
  • After losing Mike Scott to the Clippers, the Wizards are on the lookout for frontcourt help and have been in touch with free agent forward Jeff Green, reports TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link).
  • Former fifth overall pick Thomas Robinson didn’t play in the NBA last season, but he’s receiving some interest from teams this offseason, per Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. Kennedy tweets that the Bucks, Clippers, Wizards, and Suns have all expressed some level of interest in the veteran power forward.
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Clippers Sign Mike Scott To One-Year Deal

July 2nd, 2018 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 9th, 5:59pm: The signing is official, according to the team’s PR Twitter feed. The one-year deal is said to be worth approximately $4.3MM, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).

JULY 2nd, 3:48pm: The Clippers have agreed to terms on a deal with veteran free agent Mike Scott, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Woj, Scott will sign a one-year contract with Los Angeles.

The Clippers were said to have strong interest in Anthony Tolliver, meeting with him on the first day of the free agent period Sunday. However, once Tolliver committed to the Timberwolves, L.A. shifted its focus to other options and did well to land Scott, who will add depth at forward behind Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari.

Scott, a 6’8″ power forward, had a strong season for the Wizards in 2017/18, averaging 8.8 PPG and 3.3 RPG in a part-time role (18.5 MPG). He also set career highs in FG% (.527) and 3PT% (.405).

The Wizards had made it a priority to bring back Scott, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link), but he’ll head west for the coming season, leaving Washington to look elsewhere for frontcourt help.

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Wolves Sign Anthony Tolliver

July 2nd, 2018 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8: The Tolliver signing is now official, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

JULY 2: The Timberwolves have withdrawn their qualifying offer for Nemanja Bjelica, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The move will make Bjelica an unrestricted free agent, with Minnesota losing the right of first refusal.

With Bjelica expected to land elsewhere, the Wolves will fill his spot on the roster by signing Anthony Tolliver.

Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports first reported (via Twitter) that Minnesota was nearing an agreement on a one-year deal with Tolliver, while David Aldridge of TNT confirms (via Twitter) that they’ve come to terms.

According to Charania (via Twitter), Tolliver’s new one-year contract with the Timberwolves will be in the $5-6MM range, so it sounds like the team will sign him using its mid-level exception.

If the Wolves want to avoid becoming hard-capped for the 2018/19 league year, they’d have to ensure that Tolliver’s salary doesn’t exceed $5.337MM, the value of the taxpayer mid-level exception. However, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) pegs the value at $5.75MM. That would mean dipping into the full MLE and creating a hard cap.

The Timberwolves made Tolliver a priority when the free agent period opened, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who tweets that Tom Thibodeau had two separate phone calls with the veteran forward. Tolliver also drew interest from the Clippers, Mavericks, and Sixers, but liked the idea of returning to Minnesota, where he spent two seasons earlier in his career.

In 2017/18, Tolliver – the No. 43 free agent on our top-50 list – enjoyed perhaps his best NBA season for the Pistons. Appearing in 79 regular season games, he averaged 8.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG with a shooting line of .464/.436/.797. His ability to stretch the floor will benefit the Wolves, particularly with Bjelica no longer in the mix.

Bjelica, 30, averaged 6.8 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 20.5 minutes per contest (67 games) for the Wolves last season. His .415 3PT% should appeal to teams in the market for a stretch four, especially now that he’s an unrestricted free agent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Clippers In Mix For Kyle O'Quinn

July 2nd, 2018 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams
  • The Sixers continue to express interest in free agent center Kyle O’Quinn, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the Clippers and Pelicans are also in the mix for O’Quinn.
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Free Agent Rumors: Favors, Ellington, Tolliver

July 2nd, 2018 at 12:01am CST by Austin Kent

The Jazz have already met with free agent big man Derrick Favors, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. Favors met with club general manager Dennis Lindsey and head coach Quin Snyder for three hours today to discuss his future.

Marc Spears of The Undefeated, also reporting on the meeting, tweets that the forward is expected to make a decision on Monday. Favors – like the Jazz in general – enjoyed a pleasant surprise of a 2017/18 season and meshed with center Rudy Gobert in ways that he hadn’t previously.

That successful year has breathed new life into Favors’ future with the franchise that he’s played for since 2011. Favors averaged 12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season, a notable improvement from the 9.5 and 6.1 he posted in 2016/17.

Both the Timberwolves and Mavs were previously linked to the 26-year-old.

There’s more from around the league tonight:

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Free Agent Notes: Stephenson, Tolliver, McGee, O’Quinn

July 1st, 2018 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill

Plenty of teams will have interest in Lance Stephenson once the higher-profile free agents are signed, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. The Pacers remain open to bringing back the 27-year-old swingman after declining their team option on him this week. Wolfson lists the Timberwolves, Knicks, Sixers and Lakers as other interested teams, but says there are more.

Stephenson appeared in all 82 games for Indiana this season, averaging 9.2 points per night. He would have made $4.36MM in 2018/19 if the Pacers had picked up his option.

There’s more free agent news to pass along:

  • Timberwolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau has talked to Pistons free agent Anthony Tolliver, according to Wolfson (Twitter link). Tolliver shot 44% from 3-point range this season, and Minnesota sees him as a possible replacement for Jamal Crawford. The Wolves also like his locker room presence, which could be valuable if Cole Aldrich doesn’t come back.
  • JaVale McGee has said he wants to return to the Warriors, but he is also getting interest from the Lakers, Pelicans and Thunder, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge. Because of luxury tax concerns, Golden State is unlikely to offer more than a veteran’s minimum contract, while the other teams have more financial flexibility. McGee averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.6RPG this season, but his numbers rose after he became a starter after the All-Star break. This is the third straight summer of free agency for McGee, who has spent the past two seasons with the Warriors.
  • The new contract for Luke Kornet is a sign that Kyle O’Quinn won’t return to the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. He adds that the Sixers are showing “heavy interest” in O’Quinn, who spent the past three years in New York as a backup center.
  • The Knicks are hoping to re-sign Isaiah Hicks, who was on a two-way contract this season, tweets ESPN’s Ian Begley. New York gave him a qualifying offer last week, making him a free agent and giving the team the right to match any offer. Hicks appeared in 18 NBA games, averaging 4.4 points per night.
  • A scheduled meeting between Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Clippers has been moved from today to Monday, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.
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