According to rumors, the LA Clippers have reached out to Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris’ representatives about joining the team in free agency.
While free agency fast approaches, it appears the LA Clippers are focusing on adding (and in this case, re-signing) players that fit the team’s culture in free agency.
According to the LA Times‘ Andrew Greif, the Clippers have reached out to representatives for Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris about joining the team in free agency. Greif noted that both players fit the culture that the team has established over the last few seasons, with Beverley being a big part of that.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Clippers will be able to sign either or both players — Beverley has drawn interest from numerous teams, including the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, and could be in position to earn the most lucrative contract of his NBA career this summer. Morris, on the other hand, would fit in with practically any team in need of a hard-nosed forward.
However, even though the Clippers have interest in adding the two players, they’re expected to prioritize signing max-level players like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler once free agency begins on June 30.
According to reports from ESPN and The New York Times, the Clippers could be interested in pairing Leonard with Durant or Butler, depending on which players are available. The Times’ Marc Stein noted Saturday night that LA’s best bet in luring Leonard away from the Toronto Raptors would involve pairing him with another “top-flight” player in free agency.
Both Morris and Beverley would fill needs for the Clippers and would fit in nicely alongside Leonard and Butler. Beverley was obviously a big part of the LA teams of the past few seasons, and with forward depth being an issue, Morris has the versatility to play (and defend) both positions.
At this point, I still wouldn’t anticipate Beverley re-signing with the Clippers. He may have priced himself out of the team’s range with his performance in the postseason, and with other teams prepared to offer him contracts in the $10-15 million range annually, the Clippers simply won’t have the capacity to match a deal like that if signing a max-level free agent or two is likely.
We’ll have plenty more on the site tomorrow regarding the LA Clippers and the upcoming free agency period, so stay tuned as we enter what could be the team’s most important summer in franchise history.