Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Steve Ballmer Remains NBA's Richest Owner

September 28th, 2022 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Steve Ballmer of the Clippers remains the richest owner in sports, according to a report from Forbes, which estimates Ballmer’s net worth at $83 billion. Robert Pera of the Grizzlies ($17.6 billion) and Dan Gilbert of the Cavaliers ($17.3 billion) are the other NBA owners who rank in Forbes’ top 10.

Lue Excited About How To Utilize Wall's Speed

September 27th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is looking forward to taking advantage of the element of speed that newly added point guard John Wall will bring to the team this season, writes Helene Elliott of The Los Angeles Times. “I think with John, adding John, his pace is tremendous. That’s going to allow us to get easy baskets,” Lue said. “Guys get open threes, easy shots, him getting downhill, getting to the basket changes our team dramatically. His pace, the way he plays, brings a different dimension to our team.”

Pacific Notes: Leonard, Westbrook, Curry, Gentry, Kings

September 26th, 2022 at 10:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After missing all of last season with a knee injury, Kawhi Leonard pronounced himself ready for training camp, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes.

“For me individually, I’ll be participating in training camp,” the Clippers‘ star forward said. “Then from there, just seeing how my progression is, how I feel, what I’m not feeling, is it moving correctly, and just keep going from there, just gradually building up. But right now, I feel good, and the plan is to start camp and play.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Russell Westbrook was unusually blunt when asked on Monday if he feels the Lakers truly want him on the roster, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. “Whether they want me here or not doesn’t really matter, honestly,” Westbrook said. “My job is to be professional, show up to work, like I’ve always done. Thus far, I did my job the best way I know how to and that’s it. I mean, you all have jobs – sometimes people at our jobs don’t like us or don’t want us there.”
Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green could be on the free agent market next summer, but Stephen Curry hopes that the current group of Warriors can remain in place, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. “You want that to be the spirit of how decisions are made, and we want the best chance to win every single year. And we’re proving with this squad, that’s what the results have been,” he said. “So, we want to keep that together for as long as we can. That’s the goal.”
Former head coach Alvin Gentry has been named the Kings’ VP of basketball engagement, according to a team press release. Mark Toyoda has been elevated to senior director of basketball administration. Melanie Stocking has been promoted to senior director of team operations. Saagar Sarin has been promoted to director of pro personnel and Aram Palamoudian has been promoted to basketball operations coordinator.

Clippers Sign Juwan Morgan

September 24th, 2022 at 2:30pm CST by JD Shaw

The Clippers have signed free agent forward Juwan Morgan ahead of training camp, his agency Edge Sports International announced on social media (Twitter link). The exact terms are still unknown.

Morgan, 25, finished last season as a member of the Celtics. He averaged 12.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the team’s G League affiliate in Maine. Morgan also shot 51% from the floor and 34% from deep, showing an ability to score from all three levels.

Before joining Boston, Morgan went undrafted in 2019 and spent two seasons with the Jazz. He appeared in 50 games across those stints.

Los Angeles currently has 20 players under contract, including Morgan. The team has Moses Brown, Xavier Moon, Michael Devoe and Lucas Williamson on Exhibit 10 deals. Shooting guard Keaton Wallace also signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the club, but he was waived on Friday.

Clippers Sign, Waive Keaton Wallace

September 24th, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Rory Maher

SEPTEMBER 24: The Clippers have waived Wallace, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors.

SEPTEMBER 15: Free agent guard Keaton Wallace has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Clippers, sources tell our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Wallace spent four years at the University of Texas at San Antonio prior to going undrafted in 2021. He spent his first professional season playing for the Clippers’ G League affiliate in 2021/22 (now known as the Ontario Clippers).

In 31 regular season games (34.4 MPG) at the NBAGL level, the 23-year-old put up solid numbers, averaging 18.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.7 APG and 1.6 SPG on .469/.415/.823 shooting.

Wallace’s Exhibit 10 deal, which is non-guaranteed, means that he can earn a bonus worth up to $50K if he gets waived before the season starts and sticks with Ontario for at least 60 days again. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way deals, and the Clippers do currently have one two-way spot open — rookie Moussa Diabate occupies the other.

Pacific Notes: Crowder, Wall, Lakers, Kings

September 24th, 2022 at 9:42am CST by Rory Maher

Suns forward Jae Crowder tweeted and deleted “99 won’t be there!” in reply to a Duane Rankin article about training camp questions, notes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). The Suns are rumored to be exploring the trade market for the veteran, with Crowder said to be interested in a return to the Heat, though that would be tricky, at least for now, due to salary-matching rules.

In 67 games (28.1 MPG) with the Suns last season, all starts, the 32-year-old averaged 9.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.4 SPG on .399/.348/.789 shooting. While his long-range shooting is inconsistent, Crowder remains a solid defender and smart passer on a reasonable $10.2MM expiring deal.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Clippers guard John Wall recently opened up about his personal struggles the past few years in an article for The Players Tribune. Wall contemplated suicide after a series of traumatic events, including tearing his Achilles tendon, an infection from the subsequent surgeries that nearly caused his foot to be amputated, and losing his mother to breast cancer. Wall details how close he was to his mother, whom he calls his “best friend in the whole world.”
Every member of the Lakers‘ roster except for Dennis Schröder attended a players-led minicamp in San Diego on Friday, sources tell ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter links). Schröder was unable to attend due to logistical reasons — he’s still organizing a move back to L.A., per McMenamin. The veteran point guard has been quite busy recently. He signed a one-year deal to return to the Lakers last week and finished competing for Germany at EuroBasket last weekend.
James Ham of The Kings Beat breaks down the Kings‘ depth at center entering training camp. Domantas Sabonis and Richaun Holmes figure to see the majority of the minutes at the five, and new head coach Mike Brown might experiment with playing them together at times, Ham writes.

Kawhi Leonard Cleared, But Clippers Will Remain Cautious

September 22nd, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Kawhi Leonard, who missed all of last season for the Clippers while recovering from a torn ACL, has been cleared to be a full five-on-five participant in next week’s training camp, but president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank says the team will remain cautious with its star forward, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“He feels great,” Frank said at the team’s practice facility. “His plan is, look, he wants to participate in everything. And I think organizationally, we’re going to be cautious. So it will be a step-by-step approach.”

“He is cleared.” Frank later added. “For him, he’ll say, look, I want to do everything. Again, we’ll be very cautious in the approach.”

Frank said it’s a balancing act between allowing Leonard to compete and preserving his health.

“There’s constant communication with seeing where he’s at,” Frank said, per Mark Medina of NBA.com. “The toughest thing is when a guy really, really wants to go ahead and try to do everything. You just assess it and just have those conversations. What everyone can agree on is, ‘What is the goal? So, what’s the best way to get there?’ If it’s close, you exercise some caution when you’re coming back from a serious injury like this.”

According to Youngmisuk, Frank was noncommittal when asked whether Leonard would play in preseason games, saying the team plans to take it one day at a time.

“When you’re dealing with a major injury, you can’t predict,” Frank said. “I know with him, he wants to do everything, but we’ll just kind of let’s see how he feels each day. We have an outstanding medical team, and we’re playing the long game with it. So we’re not going to get into predictions, what he will do or he won’t do.

“… We’ll figure out, is that best for his body? One day it may be. The next day, we’ll have to reassess. We’ll rely on the feedback we get from Kawhi, obviously from the medical team. It’s too early to predict. We have time before we need to get there.”

Frank also says Paul George‘s right elbow is fully healed, and the star forward is developing into more of a leader. George missed three months with a torn UCL in 2021/22 prior to returning at the end of the season.

“His elbow is 100 percent healthy,” Frank said, per Youngmisuk. “Paul has had an extremely purposeful, driven, and very productive off-season, in that his consistency of training has been off the charts. Plus, he continues to take more and more of an ownership and leadership role. You know, he had a lot to do with getting John Wall to come here.”

It won’t just be Leonard that the team is cautious with. The Clippers have championship aspirations and plan to rely on their depth, so periodic rest could be a store for a number of veterans throughout the season, as Andrew Grief of The Los Angeles Times relays.

“We want our guys to be able to be at their best when their best is needed, which is, you know, April, May and June,” Frank said. “So to be able to give some of those heavy load carriers [rest] where they’re not overtaxed at that time, yet there’s enough continuity that there’s rhythm there.”

Devoe, Williamson Join Clippers On Exhibit 10 Contracts

September 19th, 2022 at 5:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Michael Devoe and Lucas Williamson have officially signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Clippers, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Reports that Devoe and Williamson would sign with the Clippers surfaced right after the June draft and now they’ve officially been added. Both players are undrafted rookies.

They were on the Clippers’ Summer League team, with Devoe appearing in four games and Williamson seeing action in two games.

Devoe, a 6’5″ guard out of Georgia Tech, was a third-team All-ACC selection last season after averaging 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists while draining 42.7% of his 3-point tries.

Williamson, a 6’4” guard out of Loyola, was named Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons and was MVP of last season’s conference tournament. He averaged 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists while making 39% of his 3-point attempts last season.

The Clippers have an open two-way slot, so it’s possible they could compete for that contract.

Under Exhibit 10 terms, both players are eligible a player for a bonus of up to $50K if they’re waived and then spend at least 60 days with the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate.

Eight NBA Teams Have Open Two-Way Contract Slots

September 16th, 2022 at 5:50pm CST by Luke Adams

As of Friday evening, 52 of the NBA’s 60 two-way contract slots are filled. Given how flexible those two-way slots are, it’s possible – and, in fact, very likely – that not all 52 of those players will still be under contract when the regular season begins in a month. But for now, there are just eight two-way spots up for grabs around the league.

A team with a two-way opening doesn’t necessarily need to decide how it will fill that spot before training camps begin in 10 days. Some of those clubs may decide to bring a handful of players to camp on Exhibit 10 contracts and then let those players compete for a two-way deal, since Exhibit 10s can be converted into two-ways before opening night.

Listed below are the eight teams that still have open two-way slots, along with some potential candidates to fill those openings.

Charlotte Hornets

With second-round pick Bryce McGowens occupying one two-way slot, the Hornets have no obvious candidate to fill the other, so it’s possible the team will hold a preseason competition. Currently, Jalen Crutcher, Jaylen Sims, Anthony Duruji, and Isaiah Whaley are signed to Exhibit 10 contracts, and all are eligible to have those contracts converted into two-way deals.

Dallas Mavericks

With their first two-way slot, the Mavericks signed Tyler Dorsey, who has high-level international experience and could earn a rotation role in Dallas this season. We’ll see if the team wants to use its second slot on another player who could contribute right away or if that spot will go to someone who is more of a developmental project.

McKinley Wright IV, Mouhamadou Gueye, and Tyler Hall are signed to Exhibit 10 deals and Marcus Bingham will reportedly receive one as well. All could be two-way candidates.

Houston Rockets

Bruno Fernando is the only Rocket who currently has an Exhibit 10 contract, and he remains eligible for a two-way deal. However, Houston has some roster cutdowns to make, which could open up opportunities for other camp invitees to emerge as two-way contenders. For now, undrafted rookie Trevor Hudgins is the club’s lone two-way player.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers were the last team to sign a player to a two-way contract this offseason, completing a deal with Kendall Brown on Friday. With Brown holding one two-way slot, the other remains open.

Deividas Sirvydis, Gabe York, Bennie Boatwright, and David Stockton are the two-way candidates currently on the roster, but the team has also reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts with Tevin Brown, Eli Brooks, Fanbo Zeng, and Jermaine Samuels, so there will be no shortage of options.

Los Angeles Clippers

Moses Brown, who has 92 career regular season appearances under his belt and could provide much-needed frontcourt depth, is the most intriguing two-way candidate on the roster at the moment, but he’s hardly the only one. Like Brown, Xavier Moon and Keaton Wallace also have Exhibit 10 deals, while Justin Bean, Lucas Williamson, and Michael Devoe will reportedly receive them too.

For the time being, second-rounder Moussa Diabate is Los Angeles’ only two-way player.

Portland Trail Blazers

Given that the Trail Blazers don’t have a G League affiliate, it’s hard to see why they’d sign four players to Exhibit 10 contracts unless they want to have the option to convert one or more into a two-way deal. None of those four players – Jared Rhoden, Isaiah Miller, Devontae Cacok, and Olivier Sarr – has more than three years of NBA experience, meaning all of them are two-way eligible.

Portland’s lone current two-way player, Brandon Williams, is a holdover from last season, so his roster spot may not be as secure as a player who has signed a two-way deal since the offseason began.

Utah Jazz

Like Williams in Portland, Xavier Sneed was in the second year of his two-way contract before he was waived on Friday. The move leaves Johnny Juzang as the only two-way player on the Jazz’s roster.

Utah has a roster logjam to clear and could still make a trade or two before the regular season begins, so it’s too soon to name an obvious candidate to take Sneed’s spot. However, the team has reportedly agreed to sign Kofi Cockburn, Darryl Morsell, and Jeenathan Williams to Exhibit 10 contracts.

Washington Wizards

Jordan Schakel is in the second year of his two-way deal, so he may have to prove this preseason that he deserves to make the 17-man roster. Makur Maker, Quenton Jackson, Davion Mintz, and Jordan Goodwin are all on Exhibit 10 contracts in D.C. and could be in the two-way mix. Second-rounder Yannick Nzosa is also unsigned, but is expected to spend the 2022/23 season in the Spanish League.

Pacific Notes: Covington, Sarver, Kings, Lakers

September 14th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Robert Covington prioritized a chance to win a title over maximizing his salary when he agreed to a two-year, $24MM extension with the Clippers in May, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Covington might have been able to earn more on the open market, but he feels wanted in L.A. and likes the talent that’s surrounding him.

“I talked with my agent and he kind of picked my brain on everything on what I wanted to do and I basically told him that at this point in my career I want to win,” Covington explained. “I’ve had a big contract, but I wanted to be in a position where I can win and I can really contribute to a contending team. We’ve seen what we had here and everybody, even the team talked about, ‘We want you back, want you back,’ players, everybody talked about next year. Just the consistency and the commitment that even after my last day there everybody still was preaching me coming back and I took that into account. Everyone expressed how much they wanted me to come back.”

The expected return of Kawhi Leonard, who missed all of last season due to injury, and the addition of free agent guard John Wall give the Clippers possibly the most talent in the Western Conference. Their depth also makes it difficult to identify who will get consistent playing time, but Covington believes that will work itself out.

“I know what they brought me here for,” he said. “They brought me here to knock down shots, defend, make the game easy, disrupt as much as I can, that’s why they brought me back.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Suns‘ media day will be an important event to watch in the wake of the Robert Sarver suspension, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. General manager James Jones, head coach Monty Williams and all the players can set the tone for how much the incident will impact the season by how they respond on September 26. Chris Paul has already criticized Sarver’s actions on social media.
James Ham of The Kings Beat examines the Kings‘ options at small forward heading into training camp. Harrison Barnes will likely see most of the minutes, though his expiring contract makes him a trade candidate. Ham doesn’t expect newcomers Kent Bazemore, KZ Okpala and Chima Moneke to all make the roster.
The Lakers are engaged in ongoing trade talks with the Jazz, but the teams don’t appear to be close to a deal, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. L.A. has expressed interest in acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic.