Matthew Dellavedova
As they proceed in such a limited financial situation, the Clippers are essentially relying on their plea of searching for players willing to have a lower salary in order to play for a contender. That’s all they have going for them, and even if they do somehow reach that best case scenario total of $10.5 million in cap space, they’ll have lost some key free agents in the process and still won’t be in position to go after any big names.
This is where a point guard like Matthew Dellavedova could be worth some attention.
The Clippers use a lot of small lineups, meaning if Austin Rivers does stay (easily possible given his $3.3 million player option for next season), Dellavedova could be used with him to form a dangerous defensive backcourt off the bench. Even when interchanged alongside Chris Paul, the two could create constant issues by hassling their opponents.
At the same time, if Rivers does leave and search for a bigger contract elsewhere, Delly offers the same kind of defensive intensity and hustle, but offers improvement at the other end of the floor. He averaged well more than twice as many assists per 36 minutes (6.5) than Rivers this season (2.4), and can get by running an offense and taking care of the ball whenever Paul is off the floor. On top of that, Delly’s career-high 41 percent three-point shot from this season would be a significant upgrade over Rivers’ streaky mark of 33.5, adding another consistent shooter to a Clippers team that really doesn’t have many serious threats from deep.
Yet, as intriguing as Delly may be, signing him is by no means a foregone conclusion even if he wants to leave the Cavaliers; their likely trips to the Finals is certainly a welcoming bonus for him to stay put.
This season, he made $1.14 million on a one-year deal from 2015 with LeBron James‘ loaded Cavs. Delly has carved out a key role there as an improved 3-and-D backup, providing 24.6 minutes of hard work every night.
The Clippers should be able to offer him a slight increase in pay, especially if Rivers leaves to clear his $3.3 million. But will that be enough, given the rising salary cap and increased chance of making more money?
Next: Talent stranded in Philadelphia