Despite having no cap room, the Clippers have been linked to Luol Deng and Paul Pierce.
Maybe Pierce would give the Clippers a discount to return to his hometown and reunite with Doc Rivers. But the Nets, as long as they still don’t care about payroll costs, could offer Pierce a large contract to re-sign in Brooklyn.
Deng probably would seek a larger salary. At least he wouldn’t take a pay cut for the Heat.
So how have the Clippers gotten involved with such prominent players? A willingness to trade Jamal Crawford is a start.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Crawford has become a subject of sign-and-trade discussions with the Clippers, who have inquired about working deals for several potential free agents, including Cleveland’s Luol Deng and Spencer Hawes, sources told Yahoo.
“Our intention is to get an extension with the Clippers or anywhere else that he may be traded based on the fact that he’s undervalued for the production he’s providing,” his agent Andy Miller told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday night.
Dealing Crawford in a sign-and-trade would get the incoming free agent just $619,150 more than the full MLE would over the next four years. The Clippers would have to include an additional player – Reggie Bullock? Chris Wilcox? Matt Barnes? – to get any real traction. They could also try adding Jared Dudley, but he probably has negative value and would require a draft pick attached. Even Barnes probably doesn’t hold much value in a deal like this.
As far as Crawford’s extension, good luck. He can’t sign an extension until July 2015, and it wouldn’t go into effect until he’s 36. Crawford’s value, coming off winning Sixth Man of the Year, is high right now. But he’ll really have to play well next season to convince a team to extend his contract, which already runs through 2016.
