Clippers Free Agency: 5 potential backup centers to sign
By Tom West
The Los Angeles Clippers only have minimum contracts to offer in the rest of NBA free agency, but they desperately need a backup center. Here are five possible options.
Cole Aldrich is joining the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jeff Green is headed to the Orlando Magic after not wanting to wait around for the Los Angeles Clippers in the midst of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. Well, now that Durant has opted to form a super team, headlined by the new “Death Star Lineup”, with the Golden State Warriors, a seismic shift has taken place in the NBA after the shock of free agency.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have been left re-signing Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson and Jamal Crawford to new deals, and now need to address their frontcourt and small forward situations as well as possible.
Not everyone will get a massive deal in NBA free agency. After the likes of Timofey Mozgov received a four-year, $64 million deal from the Los Angeles Lakers and Joakim Noah came to a similar agreement of four-years, $72 million with the New York Knicks, it became clear that teams in need of a starting center would be paying that kind of money. The same inflation applies to backups, too.
Of course, in the new market with a $94 million salary cap, such contracts can be expected, although it’s not a trend the Clippers can follow now.
After reaching a three-year, $42 million agreement with Crawford, they’re now hard capped and have a payroll of $117,287,000 for next season.
Not everyone is going to be out of reach, though. Power forward Andrew Nicholson received a moderate, four-year, $26 million deal with the Washington Wizards, and the Clippers’ own Cole Aldrich was a steal to the Timberwolves at three-years, $22 million.
And for veteran players older than those two with expectations of coming off the end of a bench, the Clippers can still make a reasonable acquisition to help compensate for the loss of Aldrich and bring in a new backup center. Brice Johnson and Diamond Stone (who won’t be counted on for minutes yet).
So, let’ take look at some cheap center options that could be encouraged to come to the Clippers on a minimum deal if they’re swayed by the talent of the team and the minutes available at center. This will be the first of several pieces looking at the team’s free agency options, so more suggestions will be coming.
Next: One of the best centers left on the market