Why the LA Clippers Need to Re-Sign JaMychal Green
In an offseason where several LA Clippers are free agents, the front office should make re-signing JaMychal Green a priority.
The LA Clippers have several decisions to make in free agency this offseason. Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris Sr., Montrezl Harrell, Patrick Patterson and Joakim Noah all had their contracts expire at the end of this season.
In addition to all that, JaMychal Green has a player option for $5 Million, and whether or not he picks it up remains to be seen. He did allegedly turn down bigger offers to stay with the team a year ago, so we may expect that he’ll have more than $5 Million waiting for him on the market.
If Green does decline his offer and tests the market, the Clippers should treat him as a must-retain. He brings versatility to the team, bringing good defense along with quality shooting.
His shooting and perimeter defense lets him get away with playing the 4 next to somebody like Ivica Zubac. In reserve lineups, he’s a solid enough post defender to play the 5.
The need for those backup center minutes is really the reason JaMychal needs to return to the Clippers. While there hasn’t been any word on Montrezl Harrell’s fate in free agency, it’s looking like there’s a decent chance we’ll be without the reigning Sixth Man of the Year.
If that’s the case, the team really has four options
- Resign JaMychal
- Let JaMychal walk and try to pick up a different backup center
- Explore the trade market for a backup center
- Hope Mfiondu Kabengele is ready for a bigger role
I think we’re all hopeful on number 4, but not enough to make that the only option on a title contending team. And on number 3, I’m sure the team will be exploring the trade market, but it takes two to tango – another team will have to be willing to part with a bench big. Not to mention we’d have to trade away an asset, and we’re starved for those already.
That really leaves resigning Green or trying to sign somebody else. The team has Bird rights on JaMychal and can go over the cap to re-sign him. So the question becomes, do you think the Clippers can get a better backup big for the taxpayer Mid-Level Exception? And are you willing to sacrifice the ability to go after a playmaker with that money instead?
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The final piece of the pie is that JaMychal seems to want to come back. If that’s really true, it feels like a slam dunk to me. JaMychal Green brings value on both sides of the ball, and the Clippers should see fit to bring him back if he declines his player option this offseason.