The Los Angeles Clippers have one final roster spot to fill, so here are some players they can target in free agency to complete the team.
Trading for and then waiving Magic forward Devyn Marble for second year guard C.J. Wilcox opens up an additional roster spot, should the Los Angeles Clippers decide to stash rookie point guard David Michineau in France. They could use that spot on a veteran to fill out the 15th spot on the roster. Alternatively, they could use the trade exception that they received from the Wilcox trade.
The pickings are reasonably poor for the exception, with Robert Covington being the best of the bunch. Unfortunately, there would be little incentive for the Philadelphia 76ers to let him go at this stage. However, later in the year when they’re among the worst teams in the league, they could decide to clear cap space and accept the trade for the exception.
If the Clippers can’t use the exception and still stash Michineau, they have one roster spot to fill, so let’s look into some possibilities.
As they just stole Raymond Felton, Brandon Bass and Marreese Speights, three fantastic, experienced backups at point guard, power forward and center on minimum deals, I will be looking predominantly, though not exclusively, at wing players.
First, I will go through a few different moves in case they decide that experience is better than youth, and limit rookie minutes to allow another future veteran signing.
Next: Veteran backcourt help
Jason Terry
The Clippers have three point guards, three small forwards (if you count can count slow Paul Pierce as a small forward), three power forwards and three centers. However, they’ve only got two shooting guards, not including Austin Rivers.
Doc Rivers is a big fan of position-less basketball, where there is no fixed position and that anyone can bring the ball up the court and initiate the offense. So, if there was a chance of adding a player who can play both guard positions, I’m sure it would interest Doc. And if that player has a connection with him, so much the better.
Perhaps, the Clippers could attempt to sign Jason Terry? The 38-year-old veteran played for Doc in his last season in Boston, averaging 10 points, 2.5 assists, two rebounds and nearly a steal per game. He was also part of the Houston side that broke Clipper Nation’s collective heart back in 2015 in the Rockets’ comeback from 3-1 down.
As a player thoroughly reliant on his three-point shot at this stage of his career, shooting 35.6 percent from deep last season and attempting 69.4 percent of his shots from that range, Terry can still help by spotting up off the ball.
That being said, with the Clippers already experiencing the breaking down of near-40-year-old Paul Pierce, another player who’s almost finished in Terry may not be the best option.
Next: What can Kevin Martin offer?
Kevin Martin
A more pure shooting guard (who also spent plenty of minutes at small forward last season) currently searching for a team is Kevin Martin. The 33-year-old, who finished last season on the San Antonio Spurs, could be a good pickup, providing the Clippers get something close to the Martin that averaged 20 points per game in 2014-15.
He has had his injury issues and didn’t really crack the Spurs rotation as I expected, but he’d still make a good contribution to a team in need of consistent shooting.
However, while Martin offers more efficient three-point shooting than other wings the Clippers have, his all-offense impact may be too similar to Jamal Crawford to make much impact. At small forward, Martin would still be the third option behind Wesley Johnson and Luc Mbah a Moute.
While Martin was with the Timberwolves, opponents shot 7.1 percent better against him than their usual field goal percentage, and 7.7 percent higher when he joined the Spurs (per NBA.com).
However, if the Clippers want someone offensively behind the defense of Luc, then they may want to look at Martin.
Next: Forgotten heroes
Forgotten heroes
Okay, maybe heroes is a bit of stretch, but there are some players who haven’t been around lately that could be worth considering if other options are out of reach — due to either other teams taking them or a minimum contract not being enough.
I know the Clippers are good for backup bigs, but should they decide to value experience over youth and barely play the young rookie bigs (and they shouldn’t ignore Brice Johnson), they could take a gamble on someone like Carlos Boozer. Prior to his absence from the league last season, he averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds per game with the Lakers, which would be a nice, more stable return than hoping a rookie like Johnson adapts to the NBA straight away.
Similarly, veterans such as David Lee and Amar’e Stoudemire would offer more offensive help if Doc isn’t willing to look to a rookie.
Larry Sanders is an interesting idea if he returns to the NBA at some point for the rim protection he always provided, but whether he makes a comeback (especially any time soon) is unknown. Plus, with Speights at backup center already and possibly a few minutes for Stone here and there, there’s no room for him.
Another option would be Ray Allen returning to the NBA if he doesn’t go with the obvious option of the Warriors. The teams that Allen would consider are the Warriors, Cavaliers, Spurs and Clippers. Should he go to the Clippers, it would be a solid capture for the bench, as he would provide instant, clutch offense.
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Allen certainly wouldn’t rely on speed or athleticism, especially after turning 41 this Wednesday, but there are four attributes that he would be able to deliver; his positioning, his shooting, his free throws and his basketball IQ.
He always had a great basketball mind, and the type of on the court attributes like three-pointers age better than anything else. Heck, I’m sure if you left Reggie Miller in the corner today and just told him to stand there for the entire game and didn’t have to run or play defense, but just to stand there and shoot when they get the ball, I’m sure they could still find the basket with a surprisingly alarming level of consistency.
So, should Allen want another shot at the league, I think he’d be an excellent fit on the Clippers. Although, it would feel like 2011 Boston with Allen, Pierce and Bass taking to the court with Doc Rivers on the bench. At the same time, adding another old, defensive liability in Allen (pairing with Pierce) has obvious drawbacks.
Another ex-Celtic who I’d love to see back in the league, and that I can’t argue a case for after the recent signing of Raymond Felton, would have been Nate Robinson, who I’ve always liked and felt the Clippers shouldn’t have cut in 2015, especially when they were so short of depth that year.
Now, after considering some old heroes, let’s look at the Clippers’ top need — a new wing.
Next: Is the grass greener?
Gerald Green
Now onto the wings.
As mentioned by Tom West in his article about potential wings, two popular targets among Clippers fans are Alan Anderson and Gerald Green. My main problem with Anderson is that his injury history is a massive cause for concern.
While Green is offensively inconsistent with many hasty shots, there is less of a risk in that, whether he gets hot or takes ill-advised shots, he’ll be an option on the bench rather than the treatment room.
The 30-year-old shooting guard-small forward is very well travelled, playing for eight NBA sides, three trips to the D-League, two stints in Russia and less than three months in China.
For a player who gives a side instant, streaky offense off the bench, it is surprising as to why he can’t sustain a spot on a team for longer than two seasons. He has played a total of 10 NBA seasons and his success record has been patchy. The top spots of his career have been a two-year stint in Phoenix and his sophomore year with the Celtics under current Clippers head coach Doc Rivers.
Last season he averaged 8.9 points in 22.6 minutes per game for the Miami Heat with 39.2 percent shooting (32.2), which would have slotted him in as the joint 7th scorer in the Clippers’ offensive rotation with Austin Rivers.
The 2007 Slam Dunk Contest winner is athletic, quick, can spread the floor, and can help run the fast break. He would be a perfect fit.
In West’s article, he mentioned Green’s sketchy defense, but in the past season with the Heat his defense was improved. He was 15th in defended field goal percentage among players who played at least 60 games (on a side note, the Clippers already have three players in the top 15 in Luc Mbah a Moute, J.J. Redick and Austin Rivers which is very encouraging, per NBA.com).
Green was ahead of defenders like Paul George, Tony Allen and Nicolas Batum with an opponent field goal percentage of just 40.4, and while it doesn’t make him a superior defender, it’s promising nonetheless.
Green should likely be available at a minimum salary, too. I, for one, would welcome it, as despite his streaky shooting, I think he would be ideal for the Clippers and well worth revisiting the interest they showed prior to signing Pierce. He would be my first choice to fill out the roster.
Plus, he played a vital part in helping me win the Clippers an NBA championship on NBA 2K16!
Next: Nostalgic help
Lance Stephenson
As I said in a recent Clipperholics round table discussion on the free agency moves of last summer, I loved Lance Stephenson.
He was inconsistent, yes, but he came in with the right attitude and when he was on form, he flat out balled. Just before his move to Memphis, I thought to myself, if he goes for anyone apart from Rudy Gay or Jeff Green, I will not be happy. As it turns out, I wish they’d kept Lance!
$9 million a year was way too much money to be paying for someone who was as inconsistent and erratic as Lance could be, but if there is a way to get him on a minimum contract, while using him in the utility, jack-of-all-trades role that Doc originally had in store for him? That may well be one of the bargains of free agency.
The reason the Lance Stephenson experiment failed was not down to Lance; it was down to Doc. One night he played him 30 minutes, the next he played two. Lance is the type of guy who wants to be in a situation where he is appreciated and used consistently, and that is the textbook definition of mixed messages from Doc.
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In his final eight games for the Clippers (including two DNPs), he shot 73.7 percent and virtually won a road game against Orlando singlehandedly. Even from such a small sample size, this is why I was sad to see him depart, and why I’d love to see him return.
During that 10-game spell, he averaged 8.3 points, three boards and one assist in only 16.1 minutes a night. That is a very solid contribution.
Beyond that small sample size, Lance had a refreshing spell of play in the freedom he found with 26 games in Memphis. In 26.6 minutes per game, he averaged 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and shot 47.4 percent with a 35.5 percent three-point shot.
Stephenson is familiar with the Clippers organisation, he’s played with the side before (albeit in a varying role), it is virtually the same side that he left and there was talk when he was traded that the Clippers would try and re-sign him at a lower price in the summer.
Next: What can we expect from Brice Johnson next season?
If Doc played him consistently in the versatile backup role, playing anything from point guard to power forward in short bursts, he could produce and contribute for the Clippers. And if they can’t get Gerald Green, I’d love to have one more nostalgic dance with Lance.