The LA Clippers reportedly worked out Evan Turner on Saturday. While he would bring a veteran presence, he doesn’t add a lot to the roster.
On Saturday it was reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo that the LA Clippers would be working out forward Evan Turner.
Turner has only appeared in 19 games this season, all for the Atlanta Hawks prior to being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While he has not yet been officially bought out yet, the fact that the Wolves allowed him to work out for the Clippers means that it’s all but a guarantee he will be.
In his 19 games this season, Turner is averaging just 3.3 points, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds. He spent his previous three seasons in Portland, coming off the bench to take some ball-handling duties away from Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
If he signs for the Clippers, that is exactly what his role would be. Turner would be the defacto point forward for the second unit, ideally taking pressure off Lou Williams. His size also allows him to match up defensively against second unit forwards instead of having Rodney McGruder on them.
For his career, Turner has been labeled as a defender. The stats don’t necessarily disagree but paint him more along the lines of an average one. His defensive rating is just 107 for his career. Not bad. Just average. The same can be said for his 0.5 career defensive box plus/minus. For someone who has often come off the bench, is that really that helpful? So, we get some okay defense and playmaking.
But is that really worth giving up a roster spot? Turner won’t space the floor whatsoever. When someone is beside Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, spacing the floor would be a huge aid in making their pick-and-roll work effectively. Turner for his career is just a 29.4% shooter from deep.
With no outside shot, he doesn’t really help the spacing, akin to what Maurice Harkless was doing to the Clippers’ starting unit.
Turner might be the most talented guy out there, so I understand the team working him out. That’s just the way the buyout market is. Still, he’s not going to add a ton and while he might be able to playmake some, I’d almost rather the team just wait and hope that Reggie Jackson agrees to a buyout and convert Amir Coffey‘s contract in the meantime.
If the Clippers opt to sign Turner, then cool. He’ll help in spots and will alleviate some of Lou’s workload with the second unit. Ultimately though he’s not someone who will add a ton outside of being a bigger option than McGruder.