Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

L.A. Notes: LeBron, Lakers, Gallinari, Thornwell

March 11th, 2018 at 11:04am CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers fans may be dreaming about signing LeBron James this summer, but the franchise isn’t in position to give him a chance to win championships, writes Mark Heisler of The Orange County Register. That will be James’ main criteria when he enters free agency, Heisler adds, as he hopes to match Michael Jordan‘s total of six titles before he retires.

James’ recent purchase of a house in the Los Angeles area won’t affect his decision, Heisler claims, and neither will the chance to play with a young core made up of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Julius Randle and Lonzo Ball. Unless the Lakers can convince James that his presence would make them an instant contender, they’ll be a long shot to bring him to L.A.

There’s more NBA news out of Los Angeles:

With the playoffs slipping out of reach, the Lakers will spend the rest of this season deciding which free agents they want to keep, states Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. With only five players under contract for 2018/19, Brook Lopez, Isaiah Thomas and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be among those auditioning for jobs, as will Channing Frye if he returns after an appendectomy.
Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari will have his right hand examined next week to determine if he needs surgery, tweets Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points. Gallinari added that swelling and discoloration in the hand have subsided since he suffered a non-displaced fracture late last month. Gallinari is averaging 15.9 points per night, but has been limited to 19 games by a variety of injuries.
Rookie Clippers guard Sindarius Thornwell made his first start in nearly three months Friday and responded with a career-high 14 points in a win over the Cavaliers, notes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Thornwell’s playing time had slipped as the team tried out two-way guards C.J. Williams and Tyrone Wallace, but he was ready when coach Doc Rivers called on him to match up with James. “I guess it’s just Doc’s way of seeing if I’m ready to play,” Thornwell said. “He just wants to see if I’m focused and locked in. But my starts are always on somebody tough.”

Latest On LeBron James

March 9th, 2018 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Cavaliers in Los Angeles this weekend to play the Clippers on Friday and the Lakers on Sunday, it seems like as good a time as any to check in on LeBron James‘ upcoming free agency. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer jump-started that discussion on Thursday when he reported that he has “consistently heard from multiple league sources” that James’ list of potential destinations currently only includes four teams: the Cavs, Lakers, Rockets, and Sixers.

Asked today about his potential free agency, James dismissed the idea that he has put together any sort of list yet, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. While the star forward also called recruiting billboards posted in L.A. “flattering,” he said he’s not thinking about his free agency at this point — though he did acknowledge he understands the constant Lakers speculation.

“I understand that the conversation happens here because first of all [the Lakers] have cap space,” James said, per Vardon. “And this league is much better when the Lakers, the Knicks, and the Celtics are all good at the same time. That’s just how it is. So, that’s what also creates the frenzy.”

Let’s round up a few more items on James and his 2018 free agency…

Within an article about James’ potential fit with the Lakers, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN cites league sources who believe it’s “still a long shot” that LeBron chooses the Lakers.
One source close to the situation had this to say to Shelburne: “If someone is pretending they know what LeBron is thinking, they’re guessing. How could anyone know when he doesn’t even know?”
Sources close to LeBron can see him playing until he’s 40 years old, Shelburne notes. That would mean seven more seasons after this one for James, which suggests that even a long-term deal this offseason wouldn’t be his last NBA contract.
Elsewhere at ESPN.com, in an Insider-only piece, Kevin Pelton examines how James might fit with either the Lakers or the Clippers. A series of salary cap machinations would be required for the Clips to have a shot at LeBron; even then, it’s not clear if he’d seriously consider them, so the Lakers are a much more viable landing spot, in Pelton’s view.
As we noted on Thursday, Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reached a similar conclusion when they ranked six hypothetical destinations for James — the Clippers ranked last in that group. However, the Rockets, Sixers, and Cavaliers all ranked ahead of the Lakers in terms of LeBron’s best options, per the USA Today duo.
James remains in the No. 1 spot in the latest edition of our 2018 Free Agent Power Rankings, published on Thursday.

L.A. Notes: LeBron, Billboards, Ballmer, Clippers

March 8th, 2018 at 11:09am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Laker Jordan Clarkson admits the possibility of LeBron James joining the team this summer was a frequent topic of locker room conversation, relays Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Los Angeles has been a rumored spot for the Cavaliers’ star in free agency. James has never said he’s considering the Lakers, but his business interests in the city and his home in the Brentwood neighborhood have sparked speculation.

“I wouldn’t say like management and the coaches or nobody, but in the locker room people talk when they see what’s going on,” Clarkson said. “That’s probably the only thing people talk in the locker room.”

James can expect plenty of questions on the topic this weekend as the Cavaliers travel to L.A. to face the Clippers and Lakers.

There’s more NBA news out of L.A.:

Los Angeles is the latest city to use billboards in an attempt to attract James, notes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. After a Philadelphia-based company put up billboards near Quicken Loans Arena last week urging James to join the Sixers, an L.A. attorney has responded with four billboards in the Los Angeles area making an appeal for the Lakers. They include messages such as “Cleveland & Philly, you can’t compete with L.A.” and “#NextRetiredJersey.” The Lakers, who have received two heavy fines for tampering in the past year, are making it clear that they have nothing to do with the billboards.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer talks about the major changes the franchise has gone through over the past nine months in an interview with Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. The upheaval began with the Chris Paul trade last June, followed by the decision to take front office duties away from coach Doc Rivers, the hiring of Jerry West as a consultant and the decision to deal Blake Griffin to the Pistons. “I said, ‘Look, things aren’t going to progress this way … we need to make other changes if we really are going to put ourselves in a position to win a championship,” Ballmer said of the Griffin trade. “It was not an easy decision, but we’re in it to win championships, and it turns out, you have to take more risks.”
More changes could be coming if the Clippers miss they playoffs, and they have an extremely challenging road ahead, notes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Ten of their 13 games this month are against playoff contenders, and seven of those are on the road. “March is a monster for us,” Rivers said.

Deadline Looming For Disabled Player Exceptions

March 6th, 2018 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

Teams that still have disabled player exceptions at their disposal for the 2017/18 season have less than a week to make use of those exceptions. Typically, disabled player exceptions must be used by March 10 of a given league year, but since that date falls on a Saturday this year, the deadline is extended until Monday, March 12. If a team doesn’t use its DPE by that date, it will expire.

As we detailed earlier this season in a glossary entry, a disabled player exception can be granted by the NBA when a team has a player go down with an injury deemed to be season-ending. The exception gives the club some extra cap flexibility to add an injury replacement by signing a player to a one-year contract, trading for a player in the final year of his contract, or placing a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract.

The deadline for teams to apply for a disabled player exception was January 15. Seven clubs received DPEs this season, with three of those clubs having used them already. Here’s that list:

Boston Celtics
- Received $8,406,000 DPE for losing Gordon Hayward.
- Used to sign Greg Monroe.
Brooklyn Nets
- Received $6,000,000 DPE for losing Jeremy Lin.
- Used to trade for Dante Cunningham.
Detroit Pistons
- Received $5,248,660 DPE for losing Jon Leuer.
- Used to trade for James Ennis.

That leaves just four teams that still have their disabled player exceptions. These four clubs will see their DPEs disappear if they’re not used by March 12:

Miami Heat
- Received $5,500,000 DPE for losing Dion Waiters.
Los Angeles Clippers
- Received $2,756,757 DPE for losing Patrick Beverley.
Utah Jazz
- Received $2,625,000 DPE for losing Thabo Sefolosha.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Received $2,480,899 DPE for losing Alexis Ajinca.

While it’s still possible that one or two of these teams will use their disabled player exceptions, those exceptions are less useful at this point in the season. The trade deadline has passed, ruling out the possibility of using the DPE in a trade. And any player placed on waivers at this point wouldn’t be eligible for the postseason, limiting the appeal of using the DPE for a waiver claim.

That leaves free agents, and there simply aren’t there many unsigned players out there who would be worth more than the minimum salary. Veterans like Derrick Rose and Tony Allen remain available, but they started the season on minimum salary deals before being waived, so it’s not as if they’d warrant more lucrative contracts now.

Ultimately, it seems likely that the remaining four disabled player exceptions will expire without being used, but we’ll keep an eye on them through next Monday, just in case.

Clippers Notes: Jersey Sponsor, Thornwell, Inglewood

March 6th, 2018 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have become the 20th NBA team to reach a uniform patch agreement with a corporate sponsor, announcing today that they’ve struck a deal with dating app Bumble. According to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg, the agreement is worth $20MM over three years.

Bumble is an app known for allowing only women to send the first message in a conversation, and the idea of partnering with an organization with “strong female leadership” was a draw for the Clippers, according to the team’s announcement. Within their release, the Clips note that they have the NBA’s largest female leadership team. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Darren Rovell notes that the club is referring to the Bumble uniform patch as an “empowerment badge” and is pledging to invest in promoting gender equality.

“Never before has a major professional sports team partnered in this way with a female-driven brand like Bumble,” Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said in a statement. “It’s an honor to partner with an organization as progressive and compassionate as the Clippers. Like us, they know generating awareness for diversity and gender equality is critical to business success.”

Our full list of jersey sponsors for the 2017/18 season – which now includes two-thirds of the NBA’s teams – can be found right here.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Clippers guard Sindarius Thornwell, who saw his minutes reduced for much of January and February, has once again become a regular part of the team’s rotation within the last week. A lack of backcourt depth in L.A. contributed to Thornwell’s return to the lineup, but the rookie believes his preparation also paid off, as Elliott Teaford of The Daily Breeze writes. “I think I came back in because of my defense and treating the practices like games and preparing for my moment, for my opportunity,” Thornwell said. “I think that’s what brought me back into the rotation.”
The owners of the Inglewood Forum – the Madison Square Garden Co. – have alleged in a lawsuit that the City of Inglewood and mayor James T. Butts have held secret negotiations with the Clippers about building a new Inglewood arena, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. The suit, also detailed by Nathan Fenno at The Los Angeles Times, alleges that Butts pressured MSG into terminating its lease on 15 acres of property (that had been used by the Forum for overflow parking) without revealing that it was a potential location for a new Clippers arena — MSG was under the impression that the land would be used for a “non-competitive technology park.”
We passed along more Clippers items on Monday, including notes on the team’s luxury tax situation and its two-way players.

L.A. Notes: Ingram, Lakers, Clippers, Kilpatrick

March 5th, 2018 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers will be without former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram for at least the next two or three games, the team confirmed today, announcing in a press release that the second-year forward has been diagnosed with a left groin strain. Ingram, who sat out Saturday’s contest vs. San Antonio, will be re-evaluated in about a week, according to the team.

Here are a few more Lakers and Clippers notes from out of Los Angeles:

While the Lakers‘ playoff chances are extremely slim, the progress they’ve made this season is “undeniable and significant to their future,” says Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. As Oram notes, the team’s growth is important not just for its young players but for its ability to attract free agents in the offseason.
Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN also examines the growth of the Lakers‘ young players, who have done well pushing through adversity.
It sounds like the Clippers haven’t entirely ruled out the possibility of signing a two-way player like Tyrone Wallace or C.J. Williams to an NBA contract, but the team didn’t want to wait on those negotiations, opting to fill its open roster spot with Sean Kilpatrick, as Elliott Teaford of The Daily Breeze writes. “We’re trying to make the playoffs here,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “We’re going to try to sign who we think is the best fit for our team. If Sean comes in and earns it, it’ll be his job. Or we’ll go back to the C.J.s or the Tys. We like them all. We just have to figure out who’s the best fit.”
The Clippers are $545K below the luxury tax line after signing Kilpatrick to a 10-day deal, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That gives the team some breathing room to eventually sign someone to a rest-of-season contract without going into the tax.

Clippers Won’t Convert Ty Wallace’s Contract

March 4th, 2018 at 7:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have decided against converting Tyrone Wallace‘s two-way contract into a standard contract, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

Wallace reached his 45-day NBA limit at the beginning of the month and now must remain in the G League under the end of its season. The Clippers need to sign him for the rest of the season or give him a 10-day contract in order for him to return to the NBA — the team still has several weeks before the deadline to convert Wallace’s deal, but it appears the decision has been made.

If the Clippers reach the postseason, they will not be able to add him to the postseason roster. He will become a restricted free agent this summer.

Wallace signed with the Clippers in early January after they waived Jamil Wilson and was productive. He averaged 10.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 2.5 APG in 21 games with the Clippers. The 6’5” shooting guard was a second-round pick by the Jazz in 2016.

Clippers Sign Sean Kilpatrick To 10-Day Deal

March 4th, 2018 at 5:30pm CST by marksuleymanov

5:30pm: The Clippers have officially signed Kilpatrick, who will be active for tonight’s game against Brooklyn.

4:14pm: The Clippers will sign recently waived guard Sean Kilpatrick to a 10-day contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Kilpatrick was waived by the Bucks on Friday, thus making him eligible for the postseason, Wojnarowski notes. The Clippers are one game behind the Nuggets for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Kilpatrick, 28, has split the 2017/18 season with the Nets and Bucks. He appeared in 16 games with Brooklyn before he was waived following the Nets’ acquisition of Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas. Kilpatrick then signed a two-way pact with the Bucks that was eventually converted into standard NBA contract.

In 39 games between Brooklyn and Milwaukee this season, Kilpatrick has averaged 4.4 PPG and 1.5 RPG.

Prior to the agreement with Kilpatrick, the Clippers discussed converting Tyrone Wallace‘s deal into an NBA contract. The 23-year-old was solid for Los Angeles, posting 10.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 2.5 APG in 21 games. However, the Clippers declined to extend Wallace’s deal, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

Knicks Notes: Williams, Jack, Dotson, Porzingis

March 3rd, 2018 at 7:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Troy Williams, who was given a second 10-day contract by the Knicks earlier today, might have an expanded role as the team focuses on youth for the rest of the season, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Williams has been productive in his first four games with New York, averaging 8.0 points and 2.5 rebounds, including an 11-point performance Friday against the Clippers.

“I will say he’s played well for us,’’ coach Jeff Hornacek said. “It’s that activity. His athleticism. I think length, he covers ground.”

Williams will have another week and a half to audition for a contract that covers the rest of the season or maybe longer. He described his first 10-day deal with the Rockets last season as “nerve-wracking,” but wasn’t as concerned about being re-signed this time around.

There’s more news tonight out of New York:

Jarrett Jack may have already played his final game for the Knicks, but Hornacek sees a future for him after his playing days are over, Berman relays in a separate story. Jack’s agent wasn’t able to find an interested playoff team for a possible buyout before Thursday’s deadline to be eligible for the postseason with another organization. After starting 56 games, Jack has become a victim of the youth movement, but he may have a future in coaching. “Whatever I’m going to do after basketball is whatever I’m passionate about,” Jack said. “Basketball is one of those passions. I know coaching and coming up with strategies and doing this day to day, it’s a lot more difficult than people think. If I was able to get in that line of work and I was passionate about it and learned the craft and was confident with it, I would probably give it a shot.”
Frank Ntilikina‘s increased playing time at shooting guard has caused several teams to identify rookie Damyean Dotson as a possible trade target, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. A second-round pick last summer, Dotson has appeared in just 30 games and c ould be stuck behind Tim Hardaway Jr. and Ntilikina on the long-range depth chart.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers believes Kristaps Porzingis‘ ACL injury will affect the Knicks on the free agent market, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Porzingis is projected to be sidelined through December, which could make players think twice about coming to New York this summer. “An ACL is not a death sentence anymore,” Rivers said. “Most guys come back and they’re healthy and they’re fine. But he was having an All-Star season. He’s also a guy that I don’t know if you want to call him a pied piper but he brings other people. The better he plays the more people want to play with him. Not having him and not knowing when he’ll be back that hurts more than just this year. To me that’s where that injury hurts them the most.”

Clippers Notes: Jordan, Boban, Teodosic

March 2nd, 2018 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Of all this season’s trade candidates who didn’t end up being dealt, DeAndre Jordan may have been the most frequent subject of trade rumors. However, after sticking with the Clippers through last month’s deadline, Jordan doesn’t seem eager to leave Los Angeles this summer. Although he’ll have the opportunity to become a free agent in July, Jordan tells Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports that his preference is to stay where he is.

“I’m here and that’s what I’m focused on,” Jordan said. “I’m excited. Like I told somebody the other day, I hope I can play another 10 years here. That’s what I’m focused on now.”

Jordan, who spoke about the “great times” he has had over the course of his 10 years with the Clippers, is probably unlikely to exercise his player option for 2018/19, according to Lee. However, even if he opts out, the veteran center could ink a new deal with the Clips. Whether such a deal is in the cards remains to be seen.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Center Boban Marjanovic was an afterthought in this season’s Blake Griffin blockbuster, with the analysis of that deal mostly focusing on the other pieces the Clippers received — Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and a first-round pick. However, Marjanovic has been proving his value to the Clippers as of late, writes Elliott Teaford of The Daily Breeze. Boban has one more year left on his deal after this season and will earn $7MM in 2018/19.
Clippers point guard Milos Teodosic says he has no regrets about leaving Europe to come to the NBA, as he tells Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “So far, I really enjoy [playing in the NBA],” Teodosic said. “I’m happy to be here and I really enjoy playing with the best players in the world and against the best players in the world.”
Earlier today, we opened up a discussion on the Western Conference playoff race, which features the ninth-seeded Clippers looking to work their way into the top eight.