Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Workouts: Walker, Clippers, A.J. Davis, Hawks

June 4th, 2018 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Miami guard Lonnie Walker IV, considered a potential lottery pick, had his first pre-draft workout on Sunday when he met with the Hornets, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. According to Bonnell, Walker indicated that he’ll audition for about six more teams, all of whom are picking in the 10-to-20 range in this month’s draft.

Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com has Walker going to the Clippers at No. 13 in his most recent mock draft, noting that the former Hurricane is a candidate to increase his stock during the pre-draft process due to his ” youth, strong frame, wingspan, and ability to shoot with his feet set or off the dribble.”

Here are more updates on pre-draft workouts, including another note on the Clippers:

The Clippers are hosting six prospects for a workout today, with De’Anthony Melton (USC), Drew Eubanks (Oregon State), Zhaire Smith (Texas Tech), Troy Brown Jr. (Oregon), Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), and Brandon Sampson (LSU) getting a look from the club (Twitter link).
UCF forward A.J. Davis, the son of former NBA big man Antonio Davis, will audition for the Bulls, Pacers, and Magic, a league source tells Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Jacob Evans (Cincinnati), Devonte’ Graham (Kansas), Nick King (Middle Tennessee State), Jeff Roberson (Vanderbilt), Landry Shamet (Wichita State), and Zach Thomas (Bucknell) make up the latest group of Hawks workout participants, according to the team.
Texas A&M big man Tyler Davis is among the prospects working out for the Knicks on Wednesday, per Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link).

Patrick Beverley Cleared For Basketball Activities

June 1st, 2018 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is well ahead of schedule in his recovery from microfracture and meniscus surgery on his right knee, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Beverley has received medical clearance to resume full basketball activities, about three months earlier than originally projected when the operation was performed November 22. Beverley was expected to need nine months before receiving clearance, and Dr. Walter Lowe, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Center, called his recovery “remarkable.”

“I saw Pat [Thursday] and ordered a new MRI approximately six months out from his microfracture biocartilage repair and lateral meniscus repair,” Lowe said in a statement to ESPN. “His recovery has been remarkable and I have cleared him to return to all basketball activities. This speedy recovery is a testament to Pat’s diligence to the comprehensive rehabilitation program between Houston and LA.”

The Clippers acquired Beverley last June in the trade that sent Chris Paul to Houston. He was expected to take over Paul’s role in the L.A. backcourt, but the injury shut down his season after just 11 games.

The team holds a $5MM option on Beverly for next season and could opt to negotiate an extension this summer, Wojnarowski notes. The contract won’t become fully guaranteed until January 10.

Bobby Marks Previews Clippers' Offseason

May 25th, 2018 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

Determining DeAndre Jordan‘s future and getting value out of their two late-lottery picks are among the top items on the Clippers‘ offseason to-do list, Marks writes in his offseason preview for the club (Insider link). The point guard position is also something of a mystery, with Milos Teodosic holding a player option and Patrick Beverley returning from a major knee injury.

Draft Notes: Wright-Foreman, Davis, Clippers, Kings

May 24th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman is returning to school for his senior year, he announced on Twitter. The 6’1” point guard averaged 24.4 PPG and 3.2 APG in his junior season. Ole Miss guard Terence Davis is also going back to school for his senior campaign, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. The 6’4” Davis averaged 13.8 PPG and 6.2 RPG in his junior year.

In other draft-related news:

The Clippers and Lakers worked out forwards Omari Spellman (Villanova) and Terry Larrier (UConn) on Thursday, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. Larrier also has workouts lined up with the Nets (June 5), Knicks (June 6) and Mavericks (June 14), Zagoria adds in another tweet. Spellman is ranked No. 49 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on his Top 100 prospects list.
Seton Hall big man Angel Delgado will work out for the Jazz in the near future after visiting the Lakers on Thursday, according to Zagoria (Twitter link).
The Kings will bring in centers Jock Landale (St. Mary’s) and Dusan Ristic (Arizona); forwards Todd Withers and Billy Preston; and guards Joel Berry (North Carolina) and Jordan McLaughlin (USC) on Friday, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.
Rhode Island guard E.C. Matthews has worked out for the Nets, Knicks and Celtics, Zagoria tweets.

Draft Workouts: Grizzlies, Delgado, Huerter, Alkins

May 24th, 2018 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

While the Grizzlies hold the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, the group of prospects working out for the team on Thursday won’t be candidates to come off the board that early. Memphis also holds the No. 32 selection, so today’s workout participants will vie to receive consideration at that spot. According to a team release, Braian Angola (Florida State), Justin Bibbs (Virginia Tech), Chris Chiozza (Florida), Josh Okogie (Georgia Tech), Admiral Schofield (Tennessee), and Jonathan Stark (Murray State) are getting a look today from the Grizzlies.

Here’s more pre-draft workout news:

Seton Hall big man Angel Delgado and Maryland guard Kevin Huerter each have workouts on tap with the Lakers and then the Jazz, per Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter links).
In addition to his previously reported workouts, Arizona guard Rawle Alkins has an audition with the Suns scheduled for next week, according to Zagoria, who adds that Alkins will also have a Pro Day next Thursday.
Zagoria provides another workout update, tweeting that Miami’s Dewan Huell has auditioned for the Thunder, Cavaliers, Bucks, Hawks, and Grizzlies so far. Huell, who is testing the waters without an agent, remains undecided about whether or not to stay in the draft.
After working out for Washington this week, Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham will work out for the Suns, Hawks, Rockets, Grizzlies, and about six or seven teams after that, he tells Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link).
Xavier’s J.P. Macura, who has a workout lined up with the Spurs, met with the Bucks, Clippers, Magic, and Pacers at this week’s Pro Basketball Combine, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.

Clippers, Doc Rivers Agree To Contract Extension

May 23rd, 2018 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers and Doc Rivers have reached an agreement on a deal that will extend the head coach’s contract, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but Rivers’ contract with the Clips had originally been set to expire at the end of the 2018/19 season.

“Doc is one of the top coaches in the NBA, coming off one of his finest seasons since joining the Clippers,” owner Steve Ballmer said in a statement. “We trust Doc to lead a competitive, tough, hard-working team while upholding a culture of accountability expected to resonate throughout the organization.”

Rivers, who joined the Clippers in 2013, led the team to four consecutive seasons of 51 or more wins before the roster underwent major changes in the summer of 2017. The Clips traded Chris Paul to Houston last summer, then sent Blake Griffin to Detroit prior to this season’s trade deadline, leading to speculation that Rivers may follow his star players out of Los Angeles. However, today’s announcement confirms that won’t be the case.

Despite losing his longtime stars, Rivers still managed to lead the Clippers to a 42-40 record in 2017/18, keeping the team within striking distance of a playoff spot until the final week of the regular season. He now has a 259-151 (.632) record in five years with the franchise, though the club has failed to make a deep playoff run during that stretch, having been eliminated twice in the first round and twice in the second.

Armed with two lottery picks in this month’s draft and more cap flexibility than they would have had with Griffin’s maximum-salary contract on their books, the Clippers will be looking to retool their roster this offseason and return to the playoffs next spring.

“I am proud of the success we have had here over the last five seasons, but there is more work to be done,” Rivers said in a statement today. “We are coming off a year where our team battled through many challenges and much adversity, proving deep talent and even greater potential. I am looking forward to getting back to work on the court to develop our players and compete with the NBA’s elite.”

Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times first reported earlier this month than an extension agreement between the Clippers and Rivers was in the works.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

LiAngelo Ball To Work Out For Clippers

May 23rd, 2018 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

After a stint in Lithuania, LiAngelo Ball has returned stateside to audition for NBA teams ahead of the 2018 draft. According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link), Lonzo Ball‘s younger brother interviewed with the Thunder and Suns at the Pro Basketball Combine, and has private workouts on tap with the Lakers, Clippers, and Warriors.

Pat Sullivan To Join Knicks' Coaching Staff?

May 23rd, 2018 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

Meanwhile, the Knicks are also in advanced discussions with Clippers assistant Pat Sullivan about joining Fizdale’s staff, says Begley. A veteran assistant, Sullivan has worked for the Wizards, Pistons, and Nets, and was in Detroit at the same time that current Knicks GM Scott Perry worked in the Pistons’ front office.

Lakers Rumors: Ball, Workouts, Caldwell-Pope

May 22nd, 2018 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers guard Lonzo Ball is focused on gaining strength and stamina to become less injury-prone next season, teammate Kyle Kuzma told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and other media members on Tuesday. Ball played in only 52 games during his rookie campaign due to a variety of ailments.

“He has been in there pretty much every day I have been in here around this time,” Kuzma said of Ball’s weight training. “You can tell he is taking the weight room a lot more serious and that is going to help him by allowing him to recover faster and hopefully next year be on the court more because of that weight room.”

In other news regarding the Lakers:

West Virginia guard Jevon Carter is among six prospects the Lakers will work out on Wednesday, the team announced on its website. Carter is ranked No. 44 on ESPN Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 list. Kostas Antetokounmpo (Dayton), Elijah Bryant (BYU), Trey Kell (San Diego State) and Omari Spellman (Villanova) will join Carter. Gary Trent Jr. of Duke will also be there, as previously reported.
The Spurs are a logical candidate to pursue free agent shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Frank Urbina of Hoops Hype speculates. San Antonio could lose Danny Green if he opts out of his contract. Caldwell-Pope could replace him and the Spurs have their mid-level exception to offer him, Urbina continues. The Clippers and Grizzlies may also be in the market for a starting shooting guard, though it’s possible KCP could get another one-year offer from the Lakers if they don’t land two top-level free agents, Urbina adds.
Kuzma was named to the league’s All-Rookie First Team while Ball earned Second Team honors. You can see the All-Rookie teams here.

Suns To Hire Mike Woodson As Top Assistant?

May 22nd, 2018 at 6:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

6:57pm: The Suns are interviewing Woodson in Phoenix to discuss the possibility of joining Kokoskov’s staff as the lead assistant but a decision has not been made, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.

6:05pm: Mike Woodson will be the lead assistant for new Suns coach Igor Kokoskov, according to longtime Arizona radio host John Gambadoro.

Kokoskov and Woodson have a connection that goes back to the Pistons’ championship 2004 season, when both were on Larry Brown’s staff. Kokoskov became the first European-born NBA head coach when Phoenix hired him earlier this month.

Woodson became available when the Clippers decided not to bring him back. He had been a lead assistant on Doc Rivers’ staff since 2014. Woodson brings a valuable veteran presence to Kokoskov’s staff. Woodson has been a head coach with the Hawks (2004-10) and Knicks (2010-14), who also interviewed him last month for the job that eventually went to David Fizdale.

Woodson had a 315-365 record during the regular season as a head coach.