The LA Clippers almost missed out on Milos Teodosic
By Paul Tooke
The LA Clippers found a gem this offseason in Milos Teodosic. But according to his agent, the Serbian guard could have landed elsewhere.
After seeing his dazzling passes in two preseason games against the Raptors, Clippers fans are falling in love with Milos Teodosic. He’s entertaining, unselfish, experienced, and on a bargain contract. However, in the offseason, the Bulls reportedly made him a better offer than the Clippers did. Here are some of the details on the situation.
The Bulls and Teodosic were in contract talks in late June.
First reported by Eurohoops.net, the Chicago Bulls were looking to replace recently-waived Rajon Rondo with another pass-first guard. According to Teodosic’s agent Nick Lotsos, they nearly agreed to a 3-year $30 million dollar deal. This was before the Bulls dealt Jimmy Butler and sealed their fate as a lottery team. Lotsos claims that he knew the Serbian star wouldn’t end up in Chicago after Butler was traded to the Timberwolves. This suggests that Milos was more interested in coming into the NBA to play for a contender, not a young franchise looking for a fresh start.
How did the Clippers nab Teodosic for such a small contract?
Milos agreed to a $12.3 million, 2 year deal (with a player option for the second year) with LA. This means that he will be on the team for one season minimum, however, the Clippers will likely offer him a bigger contract if the team has a successful season. He signed with the team about a week after the Clippers lost Chris Paul, so what was his motivation? Did he see Paul’s absence as an opportunity to fight for a starting spot on a team who has now had five 50-win seasons in a row? Well, that was likely part of his decision to sign, but he also blogged this:
"“…I had said before that the most important criterion as to who I was going to sign with in the NBA would be the role I would have and to feel that the team’s people have a specific plan for me. That they know who I am, my advantages and disadvantages, and that they know how to utilize me so that I can give 100%.”"
Teodosic felt that LA was a better fit for him than the Bulls. The money was not his priority, he did not care if the team had a championship-filled history, and he was not about to play his heart out for a team who is likely going to miss the playoffs. It is a safe prediction that Milos will make Patrick Beverley and Austin Rivers fight for their starting spots, and that he would be just as effective in those guard positions.