From Adrian Wojnarowski’s Twitter:
“Cavs get Jamison and Telfair, Clippers get Drew Gooden and Washington gets Illgauskas, Al Thornton and Brian Skinner and Cavs 1st round pick.”
Here’s how the trade looks on ESPN’s Trade Machine.
Drew Gooden’s contract expires at the end of this year. By making this move the Clippers avoid the chance of Sebastian Telfair activating his 2.7 million dollar trade option for next year and also get Al Thornton’s 2.8 million off the books as well.
The Clippers will have 33.5 million guaranteed on the books for the 2010-2011 season, not including the cap hold their 1st round pick will demand or the 6 minimum cap holds. It was predicted earlier in the year that the 2010-2011 salary cap would be anywhere between 50 – 54 million dollars. With that scale in mind, a maximum contract should check in right around 16 million dollars (30% of the salary cap number). According to those numbers, the Clippers should now have the space to offer a max contract.
Update (4:05p PT): The Clippers plan to buyout Drew Gooden’s contract and allow him to become a free agent, a league source told Y! Sports.
Update (4:25p PT): Ric Bucher reporting that Brian Skinner is actually not included in this deal.
Update (5:15p PT) The Clippers have given no indication that they’d buy out Gooden.
Update (6:37p PT) Baron Davis may sit out tonight due to a sore back.

101 Responses
Good Bye Al Thornton, Brian Skinner and Sebastian telfair ! Hello Drew Gooden ..
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
We are buying Gooden out….wonder who, guess we are all in now for LeBron or whomever this summer since I am sure he won’t come here.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Huh? Is Dunleavy trying to make sure the Clippers don’t get another win for the rest of the season? Thorton’s contract is decent, and as someone put it earlier why did you sign Telfair???? I can’t even believe this one.
Do they really need that much cap space? Unless Dunleavy signs Lebron on Wade, it’s a big FU to all season ticket holders.
qd Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Telfair was traded to us by minny
FireDunleavy .com Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
my bad, they shouldn’t have traded for him.
acd Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Would you rather keep the team the way it is? This is a proactive approach…. the clippers have a shot at one of the 7 or 8 top free agents…
how can this be bad? havent you seen thornton and telfair play this year?
FireDunleavy .com Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Who are you going to get? The only people I see worth max deals are Lebron, Wade and maybe Bosh or Johnson. I’d guess that Lebron or Wade will take less than a max deal so they can win.
I don’t think thorton or telfair have been that bad. They’re not making much money anyway. At least get a draft pick or something. They got nothing and poor season ticket holders have to watch the clippers lose by 30 every game.
acd Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
The poor cleveland fans had to go through crap to get lebron
Ditto for San Antonio w/ tim duncan
I’d rather sit though 30 more games of garbage for the CHANCE to win next year. The way the team is now assembled, we know that’s not possible (coaching or no coaching).
It’s not like we’re trading away our stars (like washingon) with the promise of improvement in 3 years….
HUGE IF… if we get even a 2nd tier player…. the clippers will have a) a new identity, b) a chance at REAL sustained improvment….
think outside the box….. thornton was nice but couldnt win over a spot from Rasual Butler… Telfair didnt really deserve any minutes behind Baron— you sill see what a true backup is supposed to be doing when Blake plays here…
Lighten up… it’s a good day… it cant possibly get any worse
raptor33 Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
dunleavy is making the right moves in order to give the clippers a chance at being something next year. the only way this trade is a bad one is if any of the players he sent out of town turns into an allstar, and that is very doubtful!
V Man Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 12:21 am
Everybody thrashing Clipper’s front office but in the last few year, most of the moves done were great, especially under Dunleavy. It’s just there were some misfortunes that could not be controlled, such as injuries and players underachieving on a new team. The only mistake was not changing coaches a couple years earlier. Otherwise Clipper front has done an excellent job. Just look:
- Trade unproven rookie Tyson Chandler for one of top PF at the time Elton Brand – great
- Trade underachiever D.Miles for league assist leader at the time, young PG Andre Miller – great (nobody expected him to play so poorly in the season with Clips)
- Go with maximum money after Gilbert Arenas and Kobe – great for the effort
- Getting Sam Cassell for inconsistent Marco Jaric, along with getting whole new backcourt by signing Cutino Mobley, that led Clippers almost to Conference Finals – great. Age eventually caught up with Cassell, but it was a great run, definetely better than having Jaric as point guard.
- Resigning Kaman to $50mil contract, who became an All Star this year – very good
- Stealing one of top poing guards in the league, Baron Davis, from the Warriors, to pair him up with Elton Brand, what would be one of top 1-2 punches in the league – great. Who knew Elton would leave and Baron would not play as advertised, so to say.
-Getting Marcus Camby for nothing, to address starting PF spot issue once Brand left. And then getting Zach Randolph (20-10 guy, who played great while healthy for the Clips) for often injured Tim Thomas – very good. Zach made us forget about Brand, but unfortunatelly got injured for a long time.
-Once Griffin was drafted, unloading huge, 2 more year, Randolph contract that nobody seemed to want, for serviceable backups, Smith and Telfair. – Very good
- And now, once it was obvious season is over, clearing enough cap space for a max contract this summer. It was not easy to unload somewhat underachieving Telfair and Thornton, when teams are not looking to take on additional contracts and Clips did it. Also, while same caliber of players at their position in return, Blake and Outlaw, but with expiring contracts and possible upgrade if Outlaw steps up. – Very good.
So tell me, what have Clippers front office done wrong lately, outside of keeping a coach couple years too long, and not being to control injuries and some players underachieving. They’ve trying to improve team and willing to spend money. Just unlucky.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Weak….sauce. Baron really paid off in free agency, didn’t he? Clips are going to waste another season, and a few more players’ careers.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Nobody is sad to see Bassy go. Thornton has become expendable. Anyone else tired of seeing him blow defensive assignments that a high school freshman should know better than to do?
I am.
Let’s see what Blake and Outlaw can do. Who knows, they might be keepers. Now they have the money to make an offer to a superstar to pair with the solid young guys. Keep our fingers crossed.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
THIS IS THE BEST NEWS WE’VE HEARD ALL YEAR…
GONE ARE WASTED BODIES THORNTON, TELFAIR, RICKY, AND SKINNER
IN COMES: UPGRADE AT THE 3, UPGRADE AT THE BACKUP 2… AND HERE’S THE KICKER…
TONS OF CAPSPACE FOR A TOP TIER FREE AGENT! YAYYYYYY!!!! i”m thrilled.
Mike Wr Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Dude, couldn’t agree more.
Clipper Derrick Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
I second that emotion.
bongstradamus Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
Dude, get real. We cant sign real talent, we have to TRADE INTO talent. No free agent has ever signed here that was a legit all-star. The only guys that wanna sign here have no interest in winning, just getting paid. The best we can hope for is drama’re, cuz Bron, Wade, Bosh and Johnson want to win, which is something we just cant seem to do.
Dunleavy screwed everyone. Even his long time assistant Kim Hughes. He traded everyone worth anything for nothing and then tries to spin that we have enough cash for a max contract next year. Its not like we’ll get Wall in the draft. Quit deluding yourselves, theres nothing good about these transactions other than Sterling saved money.
We have NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING tangible to bank on for the future. Outlaws a fine 6th man and role player, but hes no all-star. He’s Al Thornton 2 years ago. Chances are we have to overpay to keep him. Steve Blake is white and not named Maravich or Rubio.
Dunleavy should have been removed altogether. Leaving him around to spoil the well and drive or ship the talent out of town has done us nothing. There is nothing positive about any of these trades, we gave away our best trade peices and kept our $10M all-star OlowoKaman.
kirbs Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
What a load of over hype, if the franchise didn’t put themselves in a postion to at least have a shot of Lebron and the likes, you would be whingeing about that
Chris McD Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 1:33 am
bongstradamus, why are you even a Clipper fan? Between you, firedunleavy, and Formerly Section 113, there’s always a new way to make Clipper fans look like a bunch of bitter old men. You might as well tell us to get off your lawn, while you’re at it. I bet even if we signed Lebron, you guys would still have something negative to say about the team.
With “fans” like these, why would anyone on the Clippers want to even play?
bongstradamus Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 2:32 am
Is anything I said factually inaccurate?
Can you please tell me how any of these trades made us better? Because we had a serious reduction of talent and nothing to show for it now.
If LeBron comes to the Clippers, I’d eat my words. I’ll admit when Im wrong, but you gotta call BS when you see it. Theres nothing in these trades that made us better, we just let assets walk out the door for nothing. Nada. Zilch.
I shouldnt be surprised though, this franchise is notorious for hyping the future and failing to deliver on the present. Im growing tired of my hopes getting propped up for “next season” only to be dashed with stupid decisions, bad rotations, poor execution and absolutely no will to win.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
FireDunleavy, clearly he doesn’t care about this season — and why would he? We’re out of the playoff hunt, have pieces to move and want to position ourselves as best we can for this offseason. He had to get rid of Bassy and Al to be able to offer a max contract. You can’t knock the guy is he’s actually putting the team in a position to get the best player in the world.
But of course, you’ll knock him for anything, even if it makes no sense.
FireDunleavy .com Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Trade Kaman and his 10million. Al and Telfair were suffering under Dunleavy’s system and I don’t even think they played that bad. Can’t they even get a 1st or 2nd round draft pick?
Lebron and Wade are not coming here, we don’t need Bosh, and Johnson isn’t going to come here either. I don’t think I’d even give Johnson a max deal. Who do you think is going to get a max deal?
Blake and Outlaw probably won’t even sign with the Clippers next year. The Clippers only have 6 players, Kaman, Davis, Griffin, Gordon, Mardy Collins and D Jordon. Clippers will need to sign a lot of free agents. Or does Dunleavy know of some great steals he can get in the upcoming draft. I guess they’ll have to bring sofo over now.
Sam Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Trade Kaman and his $10 mil? You mean the one quality, healthy big man we have right now? The one who just made the all-star team? I thought you were concerned about appeasing season ticket holders…
And I don’t know what basketball you were watching, but Al and Bassy are not that good, certainly not worth holding onto at the cost of not being able to offer a max contract.
Who knows whether any of those big name guys will come. But guess what, we are going to give it a shot. The Clippers are actually going to make a run at the best players in the NBA in the best free agent class in NBA history. You really have a problem with that?
Furn Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Game. Set. Match.
Bravo
bongstradamus Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
The all-star that turned the ball over 7 times last night and was the most clueless guy on the court during the all-star game? Dude costs $10m a season and they still talk about “potential” after 6 years of sometimes having good games.
You feed DeAndre the ball 20 times a game and you’re going to get a double double every game and more blocks than Kaman.
Chris plays 40 good games and all of a sudden hes a stud? He’s not. Hes scatterbrained and cant keep it together. Hes the one that should have been shipped out for Rip or Tayshaun.
We needed to improve with these trades, instead we devolved and packed in another season. How many times do they expect fans to buy this same old tripe? Its always about next season.
Sam Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 1:11 am
First of all, no, you will not get a double-double every game from DeAndre every game, he has no dependable offensive game to speak of. Second, you will give up 25-15 every game with him playing D. I love the kid and think we must hold onto him because he has he chance to be a very serviceable center, but he is nowhere close to starting center caliber right now.
Second, you lament that “It’s always about next season” with this team, but when was it ever about this season? Did anyone expect the Clippers to win a championship this season? Most projections had us battling — battling — for the 8th spot. So what are we really sacrificing? We are looking at a chance to be one of four eligible teams to offer LEBRON FREAKING JAMES a max contract. This is LA, this team has more to offer than NY, Chi, or Cle in terms of existing players and LeBron can choose his own coach. How on Earth can this be a bad thing?
There is a delusion among Clipper fans that we are better than we actually are. This team is not going to make the playoffs this season, and Al Thornton and Sebastian Telfair were not going to take us there next season. If we don’t sign Bron, then we have tons of money to sign a couple pieces to compliment Gordon and Griffin, then we hold onto the dough for next offseason. We have cap space and young alent locked up for a while. How are these bad things?
bongstradamus Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 2:49 am
We dont have more to offer than NY, Chi or Cle.
Cleveland can offer LeBron max, and its near home. NY has Dolan who’s shown he’ll pay through the nose to win, and its New Freaking York, home of the Knicks a storied franchise thats serious about winning. Then theres Chicago, home of Michael Jordan, yet another legendary franchise whose fans DEMAND winning.
And then of course, theres LA, the stepchildren of the Lakers. They rarely get to the playoffs, they can barely retain talent, and the owner is known for being a penny pincher and a racist. What do we have to offer except the weather and maybe some cash? A history of winning? A legacy? A fanbase that DEMANDS winning?
Al was 2.8m, thats slave wages. He was still rookie scale. And we let him go to get a guy we plan to buyout and not use. Net result = cap, no picks, no talent. Nothing for the future. My point is we let these assets walk for nothing instead of turning them into something we can actually use.
Im no deluded that we are better than we actually are. Im freaking infuriated that we gave talent away for nothing. Im mad that these trades did NOT make us better.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
I like this too. Not losing one player that even comes close to mattering. Whole new team next year.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
with this deal giving us room to offer a max deal, i better see us in real competition to sign joe johnson. i don’t want rudy gay in the clippers uniform because he isn’t a consistent perimeter shooter. he’s just a guy who’s a little better offensively than thornton. but i seriously wonder who the clips are thinking they can realistically sign in the offseason. its ridiculous to think lebron would come here, and with caron in dallas, SF’s that we would want are limited.
hope they don’t end up wasting money on outlaw he isn’t worth, and fill out the roster with scrubs.
James Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Plus you no one could or would buy Gay’s jersey
Chris Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Hee hee, get it? Because his last name is Gay! Ha ha!
C’mon dude. Grow up.
James Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Top-10-most-and-least-popular-jerseys-from-the?urn=nba,73743
It was/is one of the least selling jersey at the NBA store….guess the whole country should grow up….
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
How is any Clipper fan not happy about this move?
SamMays Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
It doesn’t include Baron… Until he’s gone, nothing may help.
raptor33 Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
haha, you nailed it! haha
Mike Wr Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Agree. What will be very interesting is how the dynamics of the team change IF the Clips bring in a super-star. BD will no longer be the straw that stirs the drink. The new guy will be.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Was doubtful after the camby trade, but you gotta give props to dunleavy for pulling this off. It’s good to see telfair go and while al is talented, he’s a defensive liability and an expendable player. Just the fact that we are being proactive and putting our team in a position to offer a max contract is a HUGE sign of hope.
kraptacular Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Exactly the same thoughts I had.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
It is a good deal no matter what our usual users say. If there is money people will come for sure. This is not Indiannapolis or SLC, this is LA.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Man, we got rid of so much dead weight. I think Dunleavy has pulled a great trick here. Pay off will be this summer. Why not go get 2 really good player for 10 million each and bag this superstar pipe dream. maybe 7 million each.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
This is the best thing we could have done. Cap space and upgrades at the backup 1 and 3. I actually think the clips will start winning some games (or at least be competitive) if Outlaw comes back soon and returns to form. Let’s hope Baron wakes up from this slump, plays inspired ball like he did in Dec/Jan and give the fans something to cheer for the rest of this lost season.
mandingoxxl Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Yeah I hope baron plays with some heart and effort tonight
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
The reason this is so hilarious is because we probably won’t sign anyone this summer. This is more about John wall than a free agent.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Next Year: Baron at the point backed up by Blake. Eric Gordon at the 2. Rasual Butler as the 3 backed up by Outlaw as the swing 3 off the bench. Griffin starting at the 4, backed up by Craig Smith. Kaman starting at the 5 backed up by Deandre.
Joe Johnson would be a fantastic addition at the 3.
Remember also that we’ll be getting a decent pick in the draft this year.
I’m excited about this team.
FireDunleavy .com Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Why would Blake and Outlaw resign? And the Clippers would have to ditch them to sign Johnson anyway
Mike Wr Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Why wouldn’t they re-sign? If they see that the Clips are serious about creating a team that wins and they can play meaningful minutes and roles, why not? It’s likely to be a buyer’s market because so many teams are over the cap and need to reduce payroll in response to the new economics in the NBA.
Clipper Derrick Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
I think Outlaw would resign. He wants minutes, and he’s got it here in LA.
kenji Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
you seriously want to keep rasual? and put him in the starting 5 at that? no friggin way man. that guy is another version of tim thomas. super streaky shooter, and only steps it up when a contract is looming. i’m looking forward to NOT having him back next season. i’d rather keep novak (at a cheaper price mind you) than overpay rasual.
Jclipper Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
I love Rasual. I believe he has the ability to be more consistent.
kenji Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
i repeat, another version of tim thomas. Thomas was consistent as hell in phoenix when he was up for a contract. then he gets his paycheck and he stinks it up for the clips.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Just checked the free agent class. Tell me who is so great after WADE, JAMES, BOSH and JOHNSON? Manu? Scola? Lee? Farmar?
Clipper Speakeasy Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Only Lebron matters. The rest of the class is irrelevant.
Plan A: Max offer to LeBron.
Plan B: Use massive cap space to acquire impact player via trade.
For a variety of reasons, I don’t see Joe Johnson as a serious option.
cliptakular Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Courtesy of Hoopsworld
stars whose contracts expire following the 2009-2010 season and will then become honest-to-goodness free agents:
Joe Johnson
Ray Allen
Manu Ginobili
Marcus Camby
Tracey McGrady
Shaquille O’Neal
Brad Miller
Stephen Jackson
Jermaine O’Neal
Mike Miller
Rip Hamilton
The next grouping is those players that are signed thru 2011, but can opt out in 2010 if they so choose:
Yao Ming (owed 17.7 million in 10/11)
Amare Stoudamire (owed 17.7 million in 10/11)
LeBron James (owed 17.2 million in 10/11)
Dwayne Wade (owed 17.0 million in 10/11)
Chris Bosh (owed 17.1 million in 10/11)
Dirk Nowitzki (owed $21.5 million in 10/11)
Josh Howard (owed $11.8 million in 10/11)
Mike Redd (owed $18.3 million in 10/11)
Tyson Chandler (owed $12.8 million in 10/11)
This next list consists of contracts that are set to expire in 2010, but the player may choose to opt-out following the 2008-2009 season:
Steve Nash (owed $13.1 million in 09-10)
Carlos Boozer (owed $12.7 million in 09-10)
Chris Paul (owed $6 million in 09-10 / almost certain to sign an extension before becoming unrestricted)
Memo Okur (owed $9.0 million in 09-10)
Hedo Turkoglu (owed $7.4 million in 09-10)
In addition to the superstars listed above, these ‘second-tier’ players are set to hit the open market as well:
Ben Wallace
Larry Hughes
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (option to opt-out after 09/10 season)
Anderson Varejao (option to opt-out after 09/10 season)
Al Harrington
Darko Milicic
Udonis Haslem
Jamal Crawford (option to opt-out after 09/10 season)
Eddy Curry (option to opt-out after 09/10 season)
Amir Johnson
Derek Fisher
Raja Bell
T.J. Ford (player option – owed $8.5 million in 10/11)
Travis Outlaw
Bruce Bowen
Earl Watson
Luke Ridnour
Matt Harpring
Quentin Richardson
Damien Wilkins
We also must include the list of players that will actually eventually have value due solely to the fact their contracts come off the books in the summer of 2010:
Jerome James (proof that Isiah Thomas knew what he was doing all along!)
Cuttino Mobley
Brendan Haywood
Tim Thomas
Brian Cardinal
Antonio Davis
Mark Blount
Bobby Simmons
Troy Hudson
Darius Miles
Kenny Thomas
Shareef Abdul-Rahim
Matt Bonner
Etan Thomas
Last, but not least, we have the 2006 Draft Class. These players will all be restricted free-agents in 2010, if they haven’t already been inked to extensions:
Brandon Roy
Rudy Gay
LaMarcus Aldridge
Andrea Bargnani
Rajon Rondo
Tyrus Thomas
Kyle Lowry
Randy Foye
Marcus Williams
Josh Boone
Renaldo Balkman
Sergio Rodriguez
Ronnie Brewer
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
I did almost this exact trade on the NBA Trade Machine earlier, weird!
A good trade, happy it happened.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Great trades the last two days.
Got rid of Ricky Davis.
Got rid of $5.5 million for the cap next season.
Got $3 million from Portland (including Camby’s incentives Portland picks up.)
Got Blake who is better than any PG on the team since Cassel.
Got Outlaw who may be fair enough to keep.
Now if they can only get rid of that awful Baron Davis.
Jclipper Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
How about that awful Mardy Collins?
Insighter Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Mardy Collins is off the books next year. Baron Davis has three more years averaging over $14 million a year. He’s probably the biggest bust in the league for what he’s getting paid.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
These posts are delusional. This is a good move how? Dunleavy brought all these people in that he is now getting credit for unloading. Same thing happened with Randolph. This is yet another wasted move. Dunleavy brought Bassey in and now he is unloading him to acclaim! WTF. Dunleavy is a total genius. How does he manage to pull this stuff off? Watch Thornton blossom and go back to his rookie year ways in Washington. Dunleavy destroyed his confidence and the young man became a mere shell of the brilliance he showed as a rookie and at FSU.
Another year and another whole new team coming next year. No doubt filled with scrubs that everyone on here will carry on about how great they are and what brilliance Dunleavy showed bringing them in. When he gets rid of the scrubs he will be wisely clearing cap space or retooling for the next year. What does Dunleavy have to show for all this brilliance? Every year the season is over by about 30 games in and then it’s always about playing for the draft pick.
acd Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
thornton is like 27 and not getting any better. are you seriously blaming the coach for his lack of rebounding and defense? He is what he is…and he’s not a starting 3 on a championship team… so it’s ok to cut him loose and go elsewhere with it… we’ve already invested 3 years into him. If you cant beat out the wildly inconsistent Butler for the starting job, you’re not a great asset.
Bassy was supposed to back up Baron but instead stalled the offense way too often. Ya he had some nice games…but that’s not good enough. Like i mentioned earlier, you will see what a true backup PG is supposed to do over the next 30 games with Steve Blake.
The difference between this year and all others is that they have 4 solid starting positions filled. That has almost never been the case. They are sorely lacking a defensive minded SF who can shoot the 3…. Joe Johnson is that possibility.
I’ll trade Bassy and Thornton for the CHANCE to get Johnson any day of the week.
What do you have to lose? another 30 win team next year?
hans Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
mostly because he brought those guys in, and made a run with them. and he didnt hold on, he cut his losses.
i like that dunleavy gave it a shot with the rosters he had. even last year with zach, he gave it a shot to try to be a mediocre or middling team, and when it didnt work out he got out of it.
it was like a free swing at a playoff team. he got out of all of these deals with no cost, so its like taking a free swing. and now we are no worse off and we can make a run at the free agents as planned.
Mike Wr Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Agreed. When you make a move that doesn’t pan out, recognize it and cut your losses.
TNT57 Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Who said Dunleavy is a genius? I missed it. Telfair was part of a trade, Craig Smith was the guy we wanted. You a big Telfair fan? Ricky Davis really does it for you? What should we do ‘genius’ stay pat? You know nothing.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Good move…I like Outlaw, hopefully he’s as good as he could be. Sorry to see Thornton’s amazing finishing ability leave, but we’ll probably be better off without him.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
dunleavy brings in all these guys and says he can win with “his guys” and then traded them all for the hope of some luck for next year….I guess it all depends on what happens in the off season…he is gambling but with the way the Clips are you have nothing to lose….All those players are easy to replace….
Brian Tipton Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
I absolutely agree with this: “he is gambling but with the way the Clips are you have nothing to lose….All those players are easy to replace…” The only thing I would change is that Camby will be hard to replace… Gooden cant do that. Maybe a mature Jordan, but thats asking a huge amount from DJ…
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
I’m cool with ALL the transactions of the last 2 days! the current group of Clips were HORRIBLE! it can’t get any worse than now!
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
So this means we’re going to overpay for a 32-year-old Stephen Jackson next year? I don’t get it. Who is going to come here? Who? Joe Johnson isn’t. Wade isn’t. Our only hope was Griffin playing well and showing he’s a game changer. Right now, we’re one semi-All-Star (Kaman), a very good shooting guard who is too short (Gordon) and the potential of Greg Oden deux (Griffin).
Clearing cap space is fine, but that’s never worked for this team before. Why would it work now?
jgroove Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
On a side note, happy Cavs got Jamieson. Would love for Shaq to beat the Lakers and get a fifth ring.
T-Know of The CounterParts Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
J Johnson already said he didn’t want to go to the Clips? Wade too? WOW! do you have insider info that no one else has? Stop being so negative!
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Brian Skinner is not included in the trade?
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Then who is?
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Brian skinner went to washington
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
These moves are only good in the mind of Clippers season ticket holders who don’t want to admit they are the ones paying for a shitty team! It seems like the Clippers are bent on making the team worse each day, what’s next Kaman and Gordon for Mcgrady? This is yet another example of why the Clippers are such a horrible orginization. There is no way in hell we will get a big name free agent next year, the team will be too pathetic. Mark my words, we will not win 10 more games the rest of the season!!!
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
The only way the Clippers ever become decent is if Sterling croaks.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
I just read in the update that “Ric Bucher reporting that Brian Skinner is actually not included in this deal.” That is why I am confused.
D.J. Foster Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
We’re working on pegging down that fact – we’ll update as soon as possible.
kenji Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
does it really matter if he is or isn’t? he doesn’t play, and if i remember correctly, he’s an expiring contract anyways. so trading or keeping him has no financial effect for the summer.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Glad I didn’t renew my seats for this year. The rest of the year will be painful. Oh well, at least there’s a potential for a star next year to join Kaman, Griffith, Gordon, Baron and DJ.
Any CBA gurus out there: could the Clippers sign a top tier free agent and trade him the same day to a team over the cap for a player with similar salary? Say Lebron decided he doesn’t like the supporting cast in Cleveland and would rather play in Denver (unlikely, I know), could the Clips sign Lebron and trade him to Denver for Carmello? Or, if the Celtics decide to blow up the big three this summer and they’d like to rebuild around Dwayne Wade or Chris Bosh, could the Clips sign on of them and trade for Paul Pierce?
Just wondering if there’s a way to improve dramatically even if the top level guys don’t want to play here.
avonhun Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
From my understanding it is possible to do that, but because a new team wouldn’t be able to offer as large of a contract as the free agents previous team (extra year as well i think) they would be much more likely to do a sign and trade with the team they are coming from.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
I wonder if Dunleavy can trade away mike smith and open up his spot for a real color commentator (kinda like a heat check) ….. he seems to be on a good trading run right now
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Awful just pathetic!
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Caught you on ESPN Radio KA. Killed it and hit all the big points.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
It’s amazing to me that people are trying to spin this as a bad move. Anti-Dunleavy hate runs deep, but there’s still plenty of hope for having a poor summer.
At least he’s putting the team in position…however small chance we have of getting LeBron, Wade, Johnson, etc. it’s still the best chance the Clippers have ever had of being a really good team.
Even if they over-pay for Gay, or an upgrade at the 3, the BD, EJ, ?, Griffin, Kaman starting lineup is imposing. Oh, and we get to add a lottery pick and a 2nd rounder into the mix along w/ DJ? Sign my ass up.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Baron has a sore back, right, just like he had a sore knee when he QUIT playing against Jersey…. BARON IS A QUITTER….come on CLipper fans face it, boo the dog out of town…he is a guarantee for 3 more seasons of bad unispired basketball….do you think Lebron James or Dwayne Wade, two of the greatest gamers around, would play with this RIn Tin Tin? Think of how he would sulk playing second fiddle to these real basketball players….
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
U ppl are jealous idiots… I can’t believe some of these morons are acting like this trade wasn’t great for the Clippers organization. Al Thornton is not a superstar, he lost his starting spot to a selfish Butler who is playing for a contract, which I assure you isn’t going to be with the Clippers.
Let me write for you the starting line up next year and I challenge anyone to tell me that this isn’t a championship contender. 1) B Ditty 2) Eric “Hobbit” Gordon 3) King James 4) B Griffey 5) Caveman… is anyone gonna look at me with a straight face and tell me King James doesn’t want to be in LA next year…
If you think that, then your nothing but a jealous laker fan
bongstradamus Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
LeBron James doesnt want to be a Clipper. He wants to make history, not languish in a losing franchise whose idea of winning is going to the playoffs once every 12 years.
Im staring right at you and saying that with a straight face.
Chris McD Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 1:52 am
If Lebron signs with the Clippers and gets a ring, that there, is “making history.” Cleveland was nothing before Lebron.
Formerly Section 113 Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 9:00 am
jmoeny for the record it is B.Diddy and Griffin, not Griffey, but probably a better chance that KEn Griffey will suit up than Blake Griffin…..and you are delusional on two fronts, one being LEbron coming here, and the second being that a team with B.Diddy, Ditty or as I prefer to call him, Rin Tin Tin…..can ever win.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
I see the good and the bad. The vaunted 2010 free agent class is LeBron, Wade on their own tier. But after that, the stars have fallen. Amare is not a team leader and is not a superstar than can carry a team on his back. Joe Johnson is a great scorer, but he’s not a superstar and he is not as “young” as he used to be, he’s a vet know. Chris Bosh, while I like him, can’t carry a decent Toronto team by himself either.
Yao would be a fool to leave that contract on that broken foot. Dirk won’t leave Dallas, it’s not his personality. Steve Nash is not getting younger,
The next tier is like Josh Howard, Rudy Gay and Aldridge. However, all of those guys have questions marks and not worth max deals, or deals that don’t allow you to sign some one else.
After that, its downhill. Ray Ray and TMAC.Ray Allen is traid bait and old. McGrady is a shell of himself. Ginobili has a gimp ankle and his on his way down. Jermaine O’neal, Rip Hamilton…really? Michael Redd has no knees, Tyson Chandler is now Nazi Muhammed’s backup.
You have Cleveland and Miami as front runners for LeBron and Wade…and then you have New Jersey, New York, Washington, Minnesota as potential suitors. Somewhere the Clippers have to jump in. But they wont get Amare because of Blake, nor will they get Bosh because of Kaman/Blake. So that leaves LeBron, Wade, Johnson. Only LeBron and Wade are worth max deals though.
Here is the good part though. Perhaps a combination of some can help. With so many free agents and few teams to sign, value may go down for some. Let’s say the Clips sign Michael Redd for the midlevel. Rudy Gay for 80 mil.
PG Davis/Blake
SG Gordon/Redd
SF Gay/Outlaw
PF Griffin/ DeMarcus Cousins/Derek Favors/Greg Monroe
C Kaman/ Jordan
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
i honestly believe that the group we had was playoff contending the only problem was dunleavy. he should have been gone 2 years ago and we should’ve brought in a coach that could work with these guys. i heard something about byron scott coaching the clips?
brand killed us when he left….maggette i was okay with but brand..fudge!!
with this move there is a lot of possibilities.. we could get a great free agent like lebron or wade….amare would be better i think..but what we do need is someone at the 2 cuz even though gordon is good, hes too small. we could also end up with nothing like we usually do and then lose gordon or kaman next free agency. this is a risky move but we wouldnt be here if dunleavy was taken care of earlier
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I like the group of players that we have acquired – they are character players. at least they will put the effort out each night. my only wish is to get rid of BD but i do not think anyone will take this loser off our hands. i can always dream!!!
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
I think anyone who legitimately thinks that a free agent wouldn’t come here for a max contract isn’t really a Clipper fan. You can’t be a fan and completely write-off your team like that. Think about it.
I hate how any news about this team comes with the baggage of “fans” completely trashing them. ESPECIALLY because it reaches a fever pitch when good news breaks. Lady Luck gave us the #1 pick in the 2009 Draft and all many of you could do is send out bad vibes. We clear enough cap space to sign someone worthwhile next year and you guys completely discredit the moves made. Even when the pieces involved were expendable or weren’t in our club’s future.
Stop harshing my mellow, you cretins.
V Man Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 12:25 am
Everybody thrashing Clipper’s front office but in the last few year, most of the moves done were great, especially under Dunleavy. It’s just there were some misfortunes that could not be controlled, such as injuries and players underachieving on a new team. The only mistake was not changing coaches a couple years earlier. Otherwise Clipper front has done an excellent job. Just look:
- Trade unproven rookie Tyson Chandler for one of top PF at the time Elton Brand – great
- Trade underachiever D.Miles for league assist leader at the time, young PG Andre Miller – great (nobody expected him to play so poorly in the season with Clips)
- Go with maximum money after Gilbert Arenas and Kobe – great for the effort
- Getting Sam Cassell for inconsistent Marco Jaric, along with getting whole new backcourt by signing Cutino Mobley, that led Clippers almost to Conference Finals – great. Age eventually caught up with Cassell, but it was a great run, definetely better than having Jaric as point guard.
- Resigning Kaman to $50mil contract, who became an All Star this year – very good
- Stealing one of top poing guards in the league, Baron Davis, from the Warriors, to pair him up with Elton Brand, what would be one of top 1-2 punches in the league – great. Who knew Elton would leave and Baron would not play as advertised, so to say.
-Getting Marcus Camby for nothing, to address starting PF spot issue once Brand left. And then getting Zach Randolph (20-10 guy, who played great while healthy for the Clips) for often injured Tim Thomas – very good. Zach made us forget about Brand, but unfortunatelly got injured for a long time.
-Once Griffin was drafted, unloading huge, 2 more year, Randolph contract that nobody seemed to want, for serviceable backups, Smith and Telfair. – Very good
- And now, once it was obvious season is over, clearing enough cap space for a max contract this summer. It was not easy to unload somewhat underachieving Telfair and Thornton, when teams are not looking to take on additional contracts and Clips did it. Also, while same caliber of players at their position in return, Blake and Outlaw, but with expiring contracts and possible upgrade if Outlaw steps up. – Very good.
So tell me, what have Clippers front office done wrong lately, outside of keeping a coach couple years too long, and not being to control injuries and some players underachieving. They’ve trying to improve team and willing to spend money. Just unlucky.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Rip Hamilton is not going to be a free agent after this season is over. Unfortunately, Dumars gave Rip a 4 year extension when the Billiups – AI trade occurred.
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Kevin Martin is going to Houston…..
Posted on February 17th, 2010 at 10:34 pm
amazing that there are still people on here who think Baron is a star….wow, those of you who think/believe this have no clue as to how basketball is supposed to be played.
Posted on February 18th, 2010 at 8:58 am
I am sick and tired of you negative and jealous laker fans who are intent on kicking us out of Los Angeles. Let me make something clear to you A**holes right now, when LEBRON JAMES signs with us this summer, it will be us planting our flag in Los Angeles, and officially taking over the city. You guys are going to cry yourself to sleep when Lebron and the Clippers create the new dynasty that will surpass all laker records… Veni Vetti Vecci
Posted on February 18th, 2010 at 9:48 am
He came…. he saw… he conquered!!!
Posted on February 18th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Oh those wacky Clippers. Hope one day having great players will make a difference for them.
Posted on February 18th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
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