LA Clippers: Signings show faith in Jason Preston, Brandon Boston

The LA Clippers have officially signed both of their second round picks, Jason Preston and Brandon Boston Jr.

The Clippers had already shown faith in the two of them, trading back into the draft to select both of them.

This move also confirms the faith that the team has in these two players.

The LA Clippers signed Jason Preston and Brandon Boston Jr. before making many free agent signings.

Jason Preston and Brandon Boston Jr. were signed before any new free agents were signed other than Justise Winslow.

Here’s the thing: The Clippers could not even come to terms with Kawhi Leonard and still be over the cap. They were in a tough spot for money and we knew they would be.

They didn’t have a ton to spend in free agency, which was why they went for high-upside guys in the second round. When they saw opportunities to trade back in the draft, they did.

They have now clearly prioritized locking these rookies up over going after anybody else. That doesn’t mean they won’t go after anybody else for the rest of the offseason, but it shows that they see Preston and Boston as key components of the future of this team.

Heck, they even signed these two before they signed Leonard. Of course the Clips don’t value these two over Leonard, but they clearly have quite an urgency about their efforts to sign Boston and Preston.

According to Andrew Greif of the LA Times, the team has signed both of them to two-year deals with team options for the third years.

The Clippers clearly aren’t concerned about the questions regarding Preston not playing against top-tier competition in college. They like the fact that he did upset Virginia in the NCAA Tournament when he had the chance, and put up 31 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds against a top eight ranked Illinois team when he had the chance.

As for Boston, it’s all going to come down to whether he can rekindle that magic he showed in high school at Sierra Canyon. He disappointed at Kentucky, but showed he had the skills and upside to be a dominant all-around player back when he was the No. 1 shooting guard recruit in the nation (according to 247sports).

The Clippers are clearly willing to believe in that upside. I was already pretty big on these two prospects, but their early signings are encouraging me even more.