The Clippers failed their biggest offseason job: Re-signing DeAndre Jordan, who bolted for the Mavericks.
But if you can get past that – though you really shouldn’t – the Clippers have done a nice job using their limited assets to improve around their Chris Paul-Blake Griffin-DeAndre Jordan core.
They traded for Lance Stephenson once his value bottomed out and agreed to sign Paul Pierce to an amount equal to the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Now, as they hoped, they’re adding Wesley Johnson on a team-friendly deal.
Shams Charania of RealGM:
Free agent forward Wesley Johnson will commit to a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell RealGM. Terms being discussed.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 7, 2015
Dan Woike of the Orange County Register:
Johnson's contract will be for the minimum, per league source.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) July 7, 2015
Johnson is excellent value on a minimum contract. He fits the rough profile of a 3-and-D combo forward, though he excels at neither skill. He’s got a good chance to crack the Clippers’ rotation after finding his way with the Lakers the last couple years.
Because he took just the minimum, the Clippers still have $2,088,000 of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception available after using the rest on Pierce. With Jordan leaving, the Clippers suddenly have the full MLE available. If they can use the rest on someone better than Johnson, they’ll be in business.
Relatively speaking.
