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March 1st Mailbag: Playoffs, Free Agency & More

By Ryan Snellings

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers dunks in front of Maximilian Kleber #42 and Salah Mejri #50 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at Staples Center on February 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers dunks in front of Maximilian Kleber #42 and Salah Mejri #50 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at Staples Center on February 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 23: Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers reacts during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on October 23, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 23: Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers reacts during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on October 23, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

As the month of March starts, Ryan Snellings answers your questions about the LA Clippers’ playoff outlook, free agency and more.

It’s been a minute! A lot has gone down in the ten weeks since I last did a mailbag. Back then, the trade deadline was looming, there were serious doubts about our ability to make the playoffs and we all still had to deal with Avery Bradley.

Thankfully, the skid the team was in ended, Avery got flipped for some great pieces and we currently sit at an 87.2% chance of making the playoffs!

You all sent some great questions in this time around and as always both Garrett and I appreciate the constant interaction on our Twitter page. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

We’ll start here since all three players will be big contributors in our run up to and through the playoffs.

JaMychal Green

Of the three, he’s the one I’m most on the fence about. JaMychal Green has been great of the bench for Doc and could really contribute to a championship team. At 28 years old, what you see is likely what you get, but that isn’t a bad thing. Green is having his best year shooting from deep at 40% on a career-high 2.5 attempts (he’s actually at 41.7% on 3.4 3PA since joining the Clips) and is a solid enough defender. While he’s not doing any one thing exceptionally well, he’s the kind of player you can plug in and has been a slight upgrade from Mike Scott.

I’m only iffy because I can see a situation where another team offers him slightly more than a veteran’s minimum. If we intend to use our Bird Rights on him, he has a very hefty $14,566,667 cap hold which doesn’t help us clear up that much needed space. He’s a good player, but very much replaceable if the money doesn’t work.

Ivica Zubac

Ivica Zubac is a slightly different case. His cap hold doesn’t impede us from hanging onto his rights until everything shakes out, but if another team offers the young center a good sized payday, I don’t see the Clips matching.

I’ve been in the camp that the team ends up landing Kawhi Leonard  and Nikola Vucevic, so losing Zubac wouldn’t be the end of the world. Still, at only 21, he is definitely worth bringing back if at all possible. The team got him for an absolute steal and the kid seems to really be taking pride in his game. He may not be a full starting caliber big just yet, but he’s well on his way.

Patrick Beverley

This, for me, is a no brainer. Patrick Beverley is a pure culture guy and the perfect type of player to have partnered up along with a superstar. The team has featured him in on of their Playbook events, which really says a lot to me since they are mostly hosted to justify trading away X player.

Fans love him. Teammates love him. He needs to stay. Money wise, he does have a little over a $9 million dollar cap hold, but the team could waive that and then just re-sign him by folding him into the mid-level exception. This would be close to the amount of money Bev might get elsewhere and should be enough to keep him on the team.

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