We don’t know if DeAndre Jordan is going to be back with the Clippers next season. Same with Avery Bradley. Heck, there are even questions about Doc Rivers’ return as coach.
However, we do know that Wesley Johnson will be back in Los Angeles next season, thanks to Shams Charania of The Vertical at Yahoo Sports.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Wesley Johnson will exercise his $6.1M player option for next season, league sources tell Yahoo. Johnson enters the final season of a three-year, $18M deal.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 2, 2018
Wise move. In what will be a tight financial market for free agents, Johnson wasn’t going to find more money from another team.
Johnson, the former No. 4 overall pick (in front of DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George and others) was an on-and-off starter among the shifting Clippers lineups last season, averaging 5.4 points a game with a below-average 51.2 true shooting percentage and a PER of 9.8 that is the kind of number seen from guys barely hanging on in the league. He’s a streaky offensive player who plays solid defense.
That wouldn’t earn him $6.1 million on the open market, better for him to come back to the Clippers next season and improve his value before he hits the market in 2019.
