Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Notes: Lue, Harden, Leonard, Mann

October 8th, 2024 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There are six new players on the Clippers‘ roster and six players who are 25 or younger. Head coach Tyronn Lue finds himself doing more teaching in training camp and he doesn’t mind the change, he told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

“I love it,” Lue said. “It gives me something to do. The young guys, just teaching. The new guys, teaching, understanding spacing, understanding how to execute offensively, what we’re looking for first, second, third option. So, it’s been good.”

Lue added that he doesn’t expect everyone to absorb the lessons immediately.

“I have patience,” Lue said. “You gotta have patience with a group. You can’t get frustrated, but the guys are picking stuff up very well. But I like to teach, make sure we’re in our right spots, let them understand why we’re doing certain things and why you got to set the screen here instead of there, why you gotta be here making the pass instead of there. So, it’s a lot of teaching, but it’s good.”

We have more on the Clippers:

With Paul George in Philadelphia, James Harden becomes the second option behind Kawhi Leonard. Leonard said the veteran guard shares the same mentality that he has. “The relationship has been great,” Leonard told The Athletic’s Law Murray. “He came in last year wanting to win and saying that he wanted to sacrifice and do the things we needed to do to win games. So going into this year, he has the same mindset. You just want another guy on your team that is like-minded and is just willing to do anything that it takes for us to win. I think it’s a good relationship so far. We can be transparent to each other about how we’re playing, good or bad. So I think it will be good moving forward.”
The breakdown on Terance Mann‘s extension looks like this — he’ll make $15.5MM in 2025/26; $15.5MM in 2026/27; and $16MM in 2027/28, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. It’s a fully guaranteed deal with no options, Smith adds. Mann signed the extension on Oct. 2.
In case you missed it, P.J. Tucker is on indefinite leave from the team. Get the details here.

And-Ones: G League Trades, Charania, Breakout Candidates, More

October 8th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of teams have acquired the G League rights for players who are in camp with them on Exhibit 10 contracts.

The Wisconsin Herd (Bucks) sent Marquese Chriss‘ rights and a 2025 first-round pick to the Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans) in exchange for Liam Robbins‘ rights (Twitter link), while the Raptors 905 are receiving Jared Rhoden‘s rights from the College Park Skyhawks (Hawks) in exchange for the rights to Omari Moore and a 2025 first-rounder (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet).

Robbins is currently on Milwaukee’s preseason roster, while Rhoden is under contract with Toronto.

In other G League trade news, the Austin Spurs announced (via Twitter) that they’ve sent the returning rights for Yauhen Massalski to the San Diego Clippers in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick, while the Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers) acquired Elijah Hughes‘ rights from the Wisconsin Herd (Bucks) in exchange for the rights to Sam Merrill and a 2025 second-rounder.

Trading away Merrill’s returning rights won’t mean anything for the Cavaliers as long as he remains on Cleveland’s NBA roster, but if he were to be waived down the road, the Bucks’ affiliate would have first dibs on him as a G Leaguer.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Shams Charania, who has spent the past few years with The Athletic, is making the move to ESPN to replace Adrian Wojnarowski as the network’s senior NBA insider, Charania announced on Twitter. Recent reporting suggested that ESPN news-breakers currently covering other sports – including Jeff Passan (MLB) or Adam Schefter (NFL) – were among the candidates being considered to replace Wojnarowski, but Charania was always the more logical choice, given his lengthy history of major NBA scoops.
In an Insider-only story for ESPN, Jeremy Woo identifies 11 players he believes are prime breakout candidates in 2024/25. Woo’s 11 candidates fall into four groups: players who could make the leap to an All-Star level, such as Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley; players who could ascend to borderline All-Stars, like Hawks forward Jalen Johnson; players who will benefit from taking on larger roles, including Bulls guard Josh Giddey; and role players who could make bigger impacts, such as Kings guard Keon Ellis.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports predicts the 10 players most likely to be traded in 2024/25, ranging from big names like Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine to role players such as Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas. Three of the players in Helin’s top 10 – Bojan Bogdanovic, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Cameron Johnson – are currently members of the Nets.

P.J. Tucker Away From Clippers Indefinitely

October 6th, 2024 at 2:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Clippers and P.J. Tucker have mutually agreed that the veteran forward will remain away from the team indefinitely, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape (via Twitter), L.A. is working with Tucker’s agent to try find a new situation for the former NBA champ.

“We’ve had ongoing conversations with P.J. throughout the offseason and have both decided that he won’t be with the team for the time being,” the Clippers said in a statement, first shared by Spears. “P.J. is a pro who has achieved a lot in his career and there’s more he wants to accomplish. We will continue working with P.J. and his representative to find the best situation for him moving forward.”

It sounds like the two sides will try to find a trade involving Tucker’s expiring $11.54MM contract, but given his recent production, a buyout may be the inevitable outcome.

As Law Murray of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), Tucker – who was a healthy scratch during the Clippers’ Saturday preseason bout against the Warriors – was the lone L.A. player to not attend the team’s media day festivities last Monday.

The 6’5″ combo forward had an effective run as a venerated three-and-D role player on playoff teams in Houston, Miami and Milwaukee. Tucker won his lone NBA championship to date as a member of the Bucks in 2021 — a trade deadline addition that year, he came off the bench down the stretch for Milwaukee, then was elevated to the starting lineup during the team’s postseason title run.

The Texas alum was traded to the Clippers from the Sixers early in the 2023/24 season as part of the deal that also landed James Harden in Los Angeles. Tucker subsequently had his least productive season since his rookie year in 2006/07, serving as a fringe rotation player in L.A. and appearing in just 28 games for the team, including none for nearly three months from late November to late February.

Tucker spent some time away from the Clippers last season after word broke that he was unhappy with his situation in L.A. He was fined by the NBA in February for publicly expressing a desire to be traded. While there was a sense after he exercised his player option for 2024/25 in June that the Clippers might part ways with Tucker over the offseason, reporting in August indicated he was likely to open the season with the team.

Tucker, 39, averaged a career-worst 1.7 points per game in 31 total appearances for the Sixers and Clippers, adding 2.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 0.5 steals in 15.7 minutes per contest. However, as a deep-bench piece on a more favorable contract, the aging pro could still add value to a contending franchise as a versatile frontcourt defender.

Even during his most prolific offensive season, 2013/14 with the Suns, Tucker averaged a fairly modest 9.4 points on .431/.387/.776 shooting, along with 6.5 boards, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He finished 12th in Defensive Player of the Year voting that season.

Pacific Notes: Leonard, Clippers, Waters, Vincent

October 6th, 2024 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Kawhi Leonard sat out the Clippers‘ preseason opener Saturday night, but he expressed confidence that his surgically repaired right knee will be less of a problem this season, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Leonard was limited to two games in last year’s playoffs due to inflammation in the knee, then he was replaced on the U.S. Olympic team because of concerns that the knee wouldn’t permit him to play.

Leonard told Youngmisuk that the focus in training camp has been on strengthening his knee and preparing him for the long season ahead. However, no determination has been made on whether he’ll be used in back-to-back games.

“I feel good,” Leonard said. “Just been taking my time, getting stronger and getting ready. … We’re just taking it slow, day by day and just trying to get me back on the floor. Once those conversations come, we’ll see what they’re talking about [on the best approach for back-to-backs].”

Leonard appeared in 68 games last season, his highest total in seven years, and the Clippers will need him in the lineup as much as possible to remain competitive after losing Paul George in free agency. Leonard is hoping for a similar workload this season, but that’s not his primary concern.

“I strive to get a championship and I’m not out there to try to [solely] play 82 games,” he added. “I’m trying to win, even though [playing as much as I can] that’s obligated for me. I try to. But it hasn’t worked out [the last two postseasons] so we’ll see.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

James Harden, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac looked ready for the regular season on Saturday, but it may take time for coach Tyronn Lue to work out the rest of the Clippers‘ rotation, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Newcomers Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones were in the starting lineup, but they both went scoreless. More impressive were Kevin Porter Jr., who scored seven points, and Kai Jones, who contributed four points, six rebounds and three assists.
Lindy Waters, who’s in camp on a non-guaranteed contract, won the game for the Warriors with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, per Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Waters described the moment as the “cherry on top” after a long week of training camp. “I had already hit a couple of them, so that rim gets bigger and bigger,” he said. “So I just let it fly, and I knew it was good as soon as it left my hand.”
One positive for the Lakers in Friday’s preseason opener was backup guard Gabe Vincent, who scored 11 points in 15 minutes. Vincent missed 71 games last year with a knee injury, and he told Lakers Nation this week that he didn’t feel 100% until about a month after the season ended. “Obviously I was healthy enough to come back and compete, but I think it was clear to everybody that I wasn’t really myself even though I was able to impact in certain ways,” Vincent said. “It just wasn’t really what I was proud of producing and I don’t think it’s what this ballclub needed me to produce at the time. So definitely happy to be healthy coming into this season.”

And-Ones: G League Trades, Flagg, 2025 Draft, Howard, Parsons, More

October 4th, 2024 at 7:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rip City Remix – the Trail Blazers‘ G League affiliate – have completed a series of trades involving players who have signed Exhibit 10 contracts with NBA teams this fall, according to a press release from the team.

The Remix acquired Henri Drell‘s returning rights in a three-team trade with the Texas Legends and Windy City Bulls, sending the returning rights for Jazian Gortman, Anthony Duruji, and Jakub Urbaniak to the Mavericks‘ affiliate in the deal. Rip City also acquired David Muoka‘s returning rights from the Long Island Nets in exchange for George Conditt‘s rights and a 2025 second-round pick.

Both Drell and Muoka signed Exhibit 10 deals with Portland ahead of training camp and were recently waived. Now that the Remix control both players’ G League rights, it’s safe to assume they’ll report to the Blazers’ affiliate and will receive Exhibit 10 bonuses (worth as much as $77.5K) as long as they spend at least 60 days with Rip City.

The Remix also received the returning rights for Aleem Ford – along with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 G League draft and a 2025 international draft pick – from the Wisconsin Herd in exchange for Terence Davis‘ and Isiaih Mosley‘s returning rights. Davis recently signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks, so it looks like he’ll ultimately land with the Herd.

Finally, Portland’s affiliate finalized a fourth trade that sent Antoine Davis‘ rights to the Stockton Kings in exchange for the rights to Stanley Johnson and Jayce Johnson, along with a pair of draft picks (Twitter link). None of those players have signed Exhibit 10 deals this fall, but it appears Sacramento’s affiliate plans to have Davis on its roster this season, given the handful of pieces it traded to get him.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg told Jonathan Givony of ESPN that it’s “absolutely not” a foregone conclusion that he’ll be the No. 1 pick in next June’s draft, a position that was echoed by Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer. “Of course he has to prove it,” Scheyer said. “I’ve seen guys who have been projected (No. 1), that have gone there, and then guys that are projected that don’t go because you assume it’s gonna happen. … I believe in Cooper at the end of the day. But again, we got a long way to go before we start thinking about that.”
In a separate Insider-only story for ESPN, Givony shared some takeaways from his recent visits to Rutgers, Duke, UNC, and UConn, four college programs who figure to be well represented in the first round of next year’s NBA draft. Within his section on Rutgers, Givony notes that multiple NBA scouts have told him they have Dylan Harper ranked atop their draft boards ahead of the NCAA season.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report provides his 2024/25 win-loss predictions for all 30 NBA teams, while John Hollinger of The Athletic names the Nuggets, Grizzlies, Clippers, Hornets, and Wizards as five clubs he expects to fall short of their preseason over/under projections.
Georgia businessman Calvin Darden Jr. was found guilty on Friday of fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and two separate conspiracy counts for his role in defrauding former NBA players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of a combined $8MM in 2021. Brian Windhorst of ESPN has the details on the case.
Long Phi Pham, one of the gamblers who took part in a scheme to have former Raptors big man Jontay Porter exit games early for betting purposes last season, pleaded guilty this week to conspiring to commit wire fraud, reports Jennifer Peltz of The Associated Press. Pham, whose sentencing is scheduled for April 25, could face anything from a no-jail punishment to up to 20 years in prison.

L.A. Notes: Harden, Tucker, Porter, LeBron, Redick

October 4th, 2024 at 4:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Following the offseason departure of Paul George, Clippers star James Harden knows he’ll have an increased workload in 2024/25. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the 35-year-old said he’s in great shape (Twitter video link via Law Murray of The Athletic).

“I’m on pace,” Harden said. “At the start of the season I’m gonna be … in the best shape I’ve been in in five, six, seven years. I don’t really wanna talk, I just wanna go out there and show it. I feel like I’ve been talking too much.”

A 10-time All-Star and former NBA MVP, Harden averaged 16.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 8.5 APG and 1.1 SPG on .428/.381/.878 shooting in 72 games with Los Angeles last season. He re-signed with the Clips on a two-year, $70MM deal over the summer, including a player option for 2025/26.

Here’s more on the two Los Angeles-based teams:

Clippers forward P.J. Tucker, who exercised his $11.54MM player option for ’24/25 over the summer, was not present for the team’s media day, tweets Murray of The Athletic. It’s unclear if Tucker’s absence was a mutual decision or a sign of a deeper disconnect, but the 39-year-old was unhappy with his limited role last season after being sent to the Clips in the Harden deal. For what it’s worth, Tucker is with the team at its training camp in Hawai’i, Murray notes (via Twitter).
Kevin Porter Jr. is grateful the Clippers gave him what could be his last chance after he was out of the NBA last season, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Porter reached a plea agreement of a third-degree reckless assault misdemeanor in January after having been originally charged last fall with felony counts of assault and strangulation following an altercation with his former girlfriend in New York. He may still face discipline from the NBA, which is investigating the case. “I’m accountable for whatever comes, the league is going to do what the league does and I’m ready for it,” Porter said. “I’ve been getting ready for this season and nothing else really is going to provoke that.”
Lakers superstar LeBron James will sit out Friday’s preseason opener vs. Minnesota for rest purposes but is expected to play in Sunday’s contest vs. Phoenix, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James is the oldest player in the league for the second straight season, turning 40 years old in December. James played for Team USA over the summer, helping the Americans win a gold medal at the Olympics in Paris.
In an interesting feature for ESPN, Ramona Shelburne takes a look at how LeBron’s decision to sign with the Lakers back in 2018 was influenced by the “standard of care” the organization showed during Kobe Bryant‘s final years — and how the team wants to avoid having the end of James’ career play out like Kobe’s did, with the team unable to surround its franchise icon with a roster capable of championship contention. Of course, the current iteration of the Lakers has a much higher floor than the group that won 65 total games in Bryant’s last three NBA seasons, thanks in large part to the fact that LeBron continues to play at such a high level.
New Lakers head coach J.J. Redick is earning early rave reviews from his players. Rui Hachimura and Bronny James cited the fact that Redick was in the NBA so recently as a key reason why it’s been easy to connect with him (Twitter links via Mike Trudell and McMenamin), while D’Angelo Russell lauded the first-year coach’s “high IQ,” per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Clippers Sign Terance Mann To Three-Year Extension

October 2nd, 2024 at 12:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 2: Mann’s extension is now official, the Clippers announced today in a press release.

“We place tremendous value on the competitiveness, consistency, durability, and hard work that T Mann continues to demonstrate year after year,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “Since we drafted him in 2019, T Mann has turned himself into the ultimate glue guy, a two-way player who takes tough assignments and hits big shots. When we think about the qualities that make a young player a Clipper, we often wind up with a description of T Mann, and we’re thrilled he will remain a vital part of us.”

SEPTEMBER 27: The Clippers and guard Terance Mann have agreed to a three-year, fully-guaranteed $47MM contract extension, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The new deal will run through the 2027/2028 season.

Mann, who is making $11,423,077 this season, had been due to enter unrestricted free agency next summer.

Mann, 27, was a second-round draft pick in 2019 who has far exceeded expectations. He made 85 starts during his first four seasons, then became a full-time starter in 2023/24.

Mann started 71 of 75 games last season and averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per night. Although he hasn’t been asked to play a major role during his first five seasons, the 6’5″ wing is valued as a ‘glue guy,’ providing solid defense and playing within the framework of the team’s schemes.

“Super excited to re-sign with the team who has been with me from the beginning. It’s been a great five seasons with this organization and I’m excited to see where it goes from here,” Mann told ESPN’s Marc Spears (Twitter link).

Mann’s new salary is very reasonable for a starter, given that the salary cap is projected to increase by 10% annually in the coming years.

Mann will earn $15.5MM in 2025/26, when the extension begins, and will remain trade-eligible because the terms of the deal fall within extend-and-trade limits, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter)

The Clippers lost Paul George in free agency but the front office has been busy locking up their other starters. Kawhi Leonard signed a three-year extension last season, James Harden was re-signed in free agency and Ivica Zubac signed an extension earlier this month.

Los Angeles Notes: Leonard, Harden, Lakers Rotation, Redick

October 1st, 2024 at 6:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard anticipates he’ll be on the court for the team’s regular season opener, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes. Leonard has been dealing with inflammation in his right knee during the offseason. However, Leonard acknowledges knee issues will remain an ongoing concern.

“Everything has been going great for the past month, but being very cautious for reasons in the past we haven’t been able to finish some playoff runs, so making sure we’re staying healthy for those important moments,” he said. “Trying to maintain it and figure it out. We’ll be in here for a long time if I started describing stuff [about the injury and treatment] … but just learning on how it came and how to keep it down and make sure that we don’t fall in that timeframe of [missing time in] those important [late-season] moments and just making sure I’m healthy. There’s certain stuff that we could do or try to do to make me last.”

Leonard, who signed a three-year max extension in January, is encouraged by the fact he played more often last season.

“I played my most games I’ve played in a long time last year,” Leonard said. “Last two years I came back from ACL and been injured and it’s a progression for me. It was successful for us last year. Obviously from a fan base [perspective] or just from my own competitive nature, we didn’t reach a goal [of winning a title]. But in the grand scheme of things and how my body’s been doing it, it was a good year. I went from zero games to 52 to 68. So let’s see if I could keep it going from there.”

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

With Paul George signing with the Sixers and Russell Westbrook also out of the picture, the Clippers will lean heavily on 35-year-old James Harden this season. Harden says he’s up to the challenge, Ben Golliver of the Washington Post tweets. “It’s definitely going to involve a lot of me,” Harden said. “There was talk when I was in Houston… ‘You can’t win like that.’ You just saw a guy [Luka Doncic] last season make the Finals playing the same exact way I played.”
Lakers first-year coach J.J. Redick envisions a nine-man rotation, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. Redick mentioned Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes, Max Christie, Cam Reddish and Jalen Hood-Schifino as some of the candidates for bench rotation spots.
Redick and his staff are already receiving compliments from the players, according to Buha. “I just think the whole structure and foundation these coaches have brought in for us is a great start,” Austin Reaves said. “Because I feel like a lot of times last year we won games off talent. And when you have talent around structure, then you have the opportunity to do something really special.” Christie said Redick has gone to great lengths to explain his philosophy: “J.J. has done a really good job, I think, to start. Definitely imposing himself as a coach. … I think he’s done a really good job kind of explaining what our offensive identity, defensive identity and so on is going to be.”

Alondes Williams Signs Camp Deal With Clippers

September 30th, 2024 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 30: Williams was included on the training camp roster officially announced today by the Clippers, signaling that his camp contract with the team is now official (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 17: Former Heat guard Alondes Williams is set to join the Clippers on a training camp contract, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required).

Williams, who played college ball for Triton College, Oklahoma, and Wake Forest, went undrafted in 2022 and spent his rookie season with the Nets and their G League affiliate in Long Island. Last August, he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat and opened the season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, before signing a two-way contract with the Heat in February and finishing the season on their 18-man roster.

Although Williams has only played 21 total minutes across eight appearances for Brooklyn and Miami at the NBA level, he’s coming off a big year in the G League. In 43 Showcase Cup and regular season appearances for the Skyforce in 2023/24, he put up 20.3 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in 37.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .499/.369/.742. The 25-year-old also helped the Heat win a Summer League title this summer, averaging 12.0 PPG and 4.8 APG with a .480 3PT% in five games in Las Vegas.

The Heat initially tendered Williams a two-way qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, but they withdrew that QO in July after filling their two-way slots, freeing him up to sign outright with any team.

Williams will likely sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Clippers and could be a candidate to have it converted to a two-way deal, since Los Angeles has a two-way slot open alongside Jordan Miller and Trentyn Flowers.

Since Sioux Falls still controls Williams’ G League returning rights, he wouldn’t be eligible for a $77.5K Exhibit 10 bonus with L.A. unless the San Diego Clippers acquire his rights from the Skyforce.

Western Notes: Nuggets, Westbrook, Clippers, Lakers, Pelicans, Meeks

September 29th, 2024 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Among the noteworthy developments revealed during the press conferences held by Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth and coach Michael Malone on Thursday was that the team is open to adding a 3-point shooter by the trade deadline, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.

“We are riding a fine line with our shooting when you have Russell Westbrook, Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson all in your rotation,” Booth said. “And I think Christian (Braun) should be left out of that conversation when he shoots 42.9% above the break last year. But it is gonna be a fine line. It’s something we have to monitor. If we need to address our shooting at the trade deadline, we’ll do it.”

Another interesting tidbit is that Westbrook wasn’t mentioned as a potential starter, but he could be in the closing lineup.

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Clippers have plenty of concerns heading into training camp, among them Kawhi Leonard‘s health status and whether James Harden can take an even bigger role at age 35 after the departures of Paul George and Westbrook. The Orange County Register’s Janis Carr explores five major storylines for the club.
The five-storyline motif was also the subject of Khobi Price’s preview of Lakers camp for the Register. Among the topics he dove into were Anthony Davis‘ usage, Jarred Vanderbilt‘s injury status and first-rounder Dalton Knecht‘s role.
Former NBA guard Jodie Meeks has been added to the Pelicans’ coaching staff, according to a team press release. The Pelicans announced a number of other staff additions and promotions. Former WNBA star Swin Cash has been promoted to senior VP of basketball operations and Rohan Ramadas has been elevated to senior director of analytics and innovation. New Orleans also officially announced Dan Geriot as an assistant coach and Greg Monroe as a player development assistant.