Category: Los Angeles Clippers Blog

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Clippers renounce rights to five players

The Los Angeles Clippers today renounced their rights to free agents Dan Dickau, Shaun Livingston, Boniface Ndong, Smush Parker and James Singleton.

Per the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, a renounced player no longer counts toward team salary, so teams use renouncement to gain additional cap room.  After renouncing a player, the team is still permitted to re-sign such player, but the team must either have enough salary cap room to fit the salary, or sign the player using the Minimum Salary exception.  After renouncing a player, a team can still trade the player in a sign-and-trade agreement.

Warriors sign Corey Maggette

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent forward Corey Maggette to a contract, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.

Maggette, 28, appeared in 70 games (65 starts) last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.01 steals in 35.7 minutes per contest.  He ranked 11th in the NBA in scoring, fourth in free throws made and sixth in free throws attempted, while shooting 45.8% (458-1,000 FG) from the field, 38.4% (78-203 3FG) from three-point range and 81.2% (553-681 FT) from the line.  Maggette, who established a new career high in three-point percentage last season, scored 30-or-more points eight times and tallied 20-or-more points 43 times – including in 38 of his final 44 games played.

“We are really excited to add a player of Corey’s ability to our team,” said Mullin.  “He’s been one of the most productive players in our league for the last several years and provides us with additional versatility and veteran leadership.”

A nine-year NBA veteran who has spent the last eight seasons with the Clippers, Maggette owns career averages of 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 29.1 minutes in 589 games with Orlando and Los Angeles.  The 6’6’’ 225-pound Maggette, who has averaged more than 20 points per game and led the Clippers in scoring three times in the last five seasons, had his finest NBA campaign in 2004-05, establishing career highs in scoring (22.2 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg).  A career 81.9% shooter from the free throw line, the Duke University product has shot better than 80% from the stripe in each of the last seven seasons, while also ranking in the NBA’s top-five in free throws made and top-10 in free throws attempted in four of the last five seasons.

Maggette will wear uniform #50.

Lakers raise ticket prices

The Los Angeles Times (Mike Bresnahan) reports: Courtside seats were raised from $2,300 to $2,500 a game, an 8.7% hike that moved beyond the typical annual increase of 4.5%. Seats in six lower-level sections between the baskets — 101, 102, 110, 111, 112 and 119 — were raised from $230 to $245, a 6.5% increase that also topped the team’s normal action on such seats. The league average for ticket-price increases is usually 3% to 4%. Other tickets in the lower bowl at Staples Center will be $210, $147, $110, and $85, increases of 4.8% to 6.3%.

2008-09 Salary Cap set to $58.680 million

The  National  Basketball  Association today announced  that  the  Salary  Cap  for  the  2008-09 season will be $58.680 million.   The  new  Cap  goes  into  effect  immediately  as  the league’s “moratorium  period”  has ended and teams can begin signing free agents and making trades.

The  tax level for the 2008-09 season has been set at $71.150 million.  Any team whose team salary exceeds that figure will pay a $1 tax for each $1 by which it exceeds $71.150 million.

The  mid-level  exception  is $5.585 million for the 2008-09 season and the minimum  team  salary,  which  is  set at 75% of the Salary Cap, is $44.010 million.

For  the 2007-08 season, the Salary Cap was set at $55.630 million, the tax level was $67.865 million and the mid-level exception was $5.356 million.

Warriors chase Elton Brand

The San Francisco Chronicle (Janny Hu) reports on her blog: Flush with cap space after Davis’ sudden exit, the Warriors have offered free agent Elton Brand a five-year deal worth between $85 and $90 million, according to league source. Brand, like Davis, opted out of the final year of his contract just before Monday’s deadline, giving up a guaranteed $16.4 million for next season. At the time, Brand’s agent, David Falk, told reporters that the move was designed to create some cap flexibility for the Clippers to add another top-line player.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I think both Baron and Elton want to be in Los Angeles, to play together but also to further their careers in the movie industry, which can obviously be done easier as long as they are based near Hollywood. On the other hand, if Brand can make an extra $20 million playing for the Warriors, that money goes a long way.

Brand and Maggette both opt out

The Los Angeles Daily News reports: In a surprise move Monday afternoon, Clippers forward Elton Brand opted out of the final year of his four-year, $16.4-million contract. Brand announced his decision to the Daily News. Brand will be an unrestricted free agent as of 9 p.m. Monday night and will join teammate Corey Maggette, who also opted out of the final year of his contract Monday.

All-Rookie teams announced

Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford, the runner-up for the 2007-08 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year award, was the only unanimous selection on the 2007-08 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie Team, the league announced today. Horford received 58 votes, while Seattle’s Kevin Durant, winner of the 2007-08 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year award, received a total of 57 votes.

InsideHoops has to ask: How could a voter not have picked Durant as one of the top five rookies?

Rounding out the NBA All-Rookie First Team are Houston’s Luis Scola (53 points), the Los Angeles Clippers’ Al Thornton (48 points) and Seattle’s Jeff Green (43 points).

The T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of former D-League player, Jamario Moon of the Toronto Raptors (38), Memphis’ Juan Carlos
Navarro (24), Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young, (23), Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey (22) and Houston’s Carl Landry (18).

The voting panel consisted of the NBA’s 30 head coaches, who were asked to select five players for the first team and five players for the second team, regardless of position.  Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Two points were awarded for first team votes and one for second team votes.

Apr. 16: Rockets 93, Clippers 75

The AP reports: Luis Scola had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets locked up the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 93-75 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Backup point guard Bobby Jackson added 15 points and five rebounds, and Tracy McGrady made up for a 2-for-11 shooting night with 11 assists as the Rockets improved to 22-2 in their last 24 home games… Jackson started for the second straight game in place of Rafer Alston, who strained his right hamstring against Denver on Sunday. Alston said he would likely miss Houston’s first two playoff games. Corey Maggette scored 22 points and Elton Brand added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who’ve lost five straight to Houston and 17 of the last 20 meetings.

Apr. 15: Hornets 114, Clippers 92

The AP reports: The New Orleans Hornets gathered in front of their bench, wearing ball caps and T-shirts commemorating the first division championship in the franchise’s 20-year history… David West scored 32 points and Chris Paul had 12 during a decisive run in the third quarter as the Hornets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 114-92 on Tuesday night… Chris Paul finished with 22 points and 12 assists, while Chandler added 11 points and 11 rebounds. Rookie Julian Wright scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, including a thunderous dunk. Rookie Al Thornton led the Clippers with 26 points. Corey Maggette contributed 13 off the bench.