Los Angeles Clippers

Basketball fans will apparently have to wait until the Los Angeles Clippers take the court again to see Paul George play.

The seven-time All-Star previously said he would participate in a Drew League game this summer, but he walked that back during a Twitch stream (h/t Joey Linn of Sports Illustrated). Linn noted George had a wedding and youth camp this summer on top of his normal responsibilities as an NBA player and father.

"Nah, I'm not playing this year," he said on the Twitch stream. "I tried to get around to it, I just had a lot of stuff coming up every weekend so I ain't have a chance to make it to the Drew this year."

Sounds like Paul George isn’t gonna make it out to the Drew League this year.

“Nah, I’m not playing this year. I tried to get around to it, I just had a lot of stuff coming up every weekend so I ain’t have a chance to make it to the Drew this year.” pic.twitter.com/7wSyWcLxtC

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) August 6, 2022

While George will not compete, a number of NBA players, including LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan, have participated in the Drew League this summer.

LeBron SHUT IT DOWN in the @DrewLeague today dropping 42 points and snatching the W!

👑 @KingJames: 42 PTS, 16 REB, 4 STL pic.twitter.com/ItazG82UVv

— NBA (@NBA) July 16, 2022

The famous pro-am summer league in Southern California routinely draws some of the best players in the league to packed gyms as fans get to see them compete in a non-traditional environment.

George has played multiple times, most notably throwing down a monster 360-degree windmill dunk in 2014:

It was arguably the best dunk of the summer, and definitely George's signature dunk.

Now George plays for the Clippers, and he has been back to the Drew to watch the playoffs on multiple occasions.

— Drew League (@DrewLeague) July 11, 2020

Those dunks will have to wait for the NBA season this time around.

The influx of NBA talent in the Drew League will continue when Paul George suits up in the annual pro-am showcase in South Central Los Angeles, per The Athletic's Law Murray.

The Los Angeles Clippers star has not played in the Drew League since 2014, and it's unclear when exactly he intends to make his return this summer.

George previously tried to suit up in the Drew League for MHP in a playoff game against LAUNFD in August 2017, but the commissioner denied him because he did not play in the regular season.

The Drew League has a rule against allowing players to compete in the playoffs if they didn't play in the regular season.

Hey, rules is rules! Tell him come earlier next year! https://t.co/8v02pgivI9

— Drew League (@DrewLeague) August 6, 2017

Returning to the Drew League will be a great way for George to get in on some competitive action after he only appeared in 31 games for the Clippers during the 2021-22 campaign because of a UCL injury.

The 32-year-old was sidelined for about three months from December to March while recovering. He averaged 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from deep last season.

George will be only the latest high-profile player to suit up in the Drew League this summer.

First, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James teamed up with DeMar DeRozan for the MMV Cheaters against Black Pearl Elite on July 16, helping lift the team to a 104-102 win with a 42-point performance.

Then Atlanta Hawks stars Trae Young and John Collins suited up for Black Pearl Elite, combining for 38 points in a 103-100 loss to Citi Team Blazers on July 23.

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was also supposed to play in the Drew League on July 16, but he did not show up to play.

The Drew League became popular during the 2011 NBA lockout as stars such as James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant suited up in the pro-am showcase to stay in shape. It appears to be becoming popular with NBA players once again.

Luckily for fans, the NBA and Drew League recently came to a deal to stream select games from July 23 until the championship game on August 21. So, it's reasonable to believe we'll be able to watch George when he decides to suit up.

Veteran forward Nicolas Batum is re-signing with the Los Angeles Clippers after agreeing to a two-year, $22 million contract, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Batum hit the open market this summer after declining his $3.3 million player option for the 2022-23 NBA season. Given how much he thrived in L.A., a return to the Clippers always seemed the likeliest outcome.

In two seasons with the team, the 33-year-old Frenchman averaged 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He also shot 46.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three-point territory.

While Batum didn't fill up the stat sheet quite to the extent he did during his best years with the Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets, he thrived as a reserve in Los Angeles' rotation and provided much-needed floor-spacing.

His 108 made three-pointers were third-most on the team in 2021-22 as he shot 40 percent from beyond the arc.

There's no question the Clippers fell short of expectations in the 2020 playoffs when they lost to the Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals. Their run to the Western Conference Finals in 2020-21 and ninth-place finish this past season illustrated how much depth they've boasted behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, though.

Los Angeles claimed Batum off waivers in December 2020. He had made just 22 appearances for the Hornets the previous season, and his departure from Charlotte came after nobody wanted to assume his $27 million salary.

The Clippers correctly identified how he still had plenty left in the tank and that his performance might improve if he were playing on a title contender.

When Leonard underwent surgery for a partially torn ACL in July 2021, the franchise was looking at a lost season in 2021-22. Any pursuit of a championship went out the window for the time being.

With the five-time All-Star progressing in his injury recovery, Los Angeles should be right back in the thick of the race for the top seed in the Western Conference. Holding on to Batum will help the Clippers get there.

The NBA is coming back to Seattle.

Well, sort of.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to play a preseason game at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on Oct. 3, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.

The NBA has not played a game in Seattle since the SuperSonics left and rebranded themselves as the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said the game came to fruition after a talk with Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.

"Me and Chaunce were talking about it, just basically being able to spend more time as best friends," Lue said. "We were talking about Vegas, and then, I was like, yeah, I live in Vegas, so that's perfect.

“And then he said: 'Well, what about Seattle? Because it's close for us and both of our owners are there.' I was like, that's cool too because I haven't been to Seattle in a while."

Seattle has been often mentioned as a potential city for NBA expansion, though commissioner Adam Silver has maintained the league is not currently looking at adding teams.

"We are not discussing that at this time," Silver told reporters earlier this month. "As I've said before, at some point, this league will invariably expand, just not at this moment."

Las Vegas is seen as the other natural expansion market. LeBron James recently said he wants to be part of the ownership group that takes over a Las Vegas franchise.

While the NBA moved out of Seattle in large part due to a lack of support for a new arena, Climate Pledge Arena recently underwent a $1.1 billion redevelopment. The NHL's Seattle Kraken and the WNBA's Seattle Storm currently call the arena home.

Rumors have been swirling around Kyrie Irving for months, but they turned into a full-scale tornado during draft week.

Hours before the fates of 58 prospects were announced on national TV, The Athletic's Shams Charania sounded the alarm:

Sources: Kevin Durant is monitoring the Brooklyn Nets’ situation and considering options with his future.

This now opens the path for Kyrie Irving to proceed on finding a new home via opt-in and trade.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2022

Shortly thereafter, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski added to the madness and shared a list of teams "Irving has interest in."

Those are teams who Irving has interest in, but he isn’t necessarily a priority for all of them, sources said.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2022

Given Wojnarowski's caveat at the end of that tweet, it's safe to say each of those options is a long shot. In the end, the most realistic outcome of all this might be Kevin Durant and Kyrie remaining with the Brooklyn Nets.

But there's just too much noise to ignore, and with possible destinations narrowed down, it's time to look at two: the most realistic and most desirable.

Most Realistic: Miami Heat

Kyrie's trade value may be diminished by the last several years of drama, unavailability and aging (he turned 30 in March), but that doesn't mean Brooklyn is just going to give him away.

If he's healthy and engaged (big ifs, to be sure), he's the kind of talent who can lift you to a championship-caliber offense, which is why the Miami Heat should perk up at the thought of Kyrie being available.

Miami was the top seed in the East this postseason, but it finished in the bottom half of playoff offenses and looked stuck in neutral against the Boston Celtics.

That certainly had a lot to do with Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro only sharing the floor for seven minutes in that series (thanks to injuries), but it was hard to come away from that matchup without thinking there's too much offensive responsibility on Butler's shoulders.

Having a locked-in Irving in the rotation would certainly alleviate that. And of the teams listed above, the Heat likely have the most attractive trade package it could send Brooklyn's way.

The Deal: Kyrie Irving for Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick

If the Nets lose Irving, they're pretty much resigning themselves to the loss of Durant and, ultimately, a rebuild. Any packages for either player should probably have young players, draft consideration or both. And that's exactly what Miami is offering here.

Herro isn't Irving, but he's 6'5", 22 years old and just averaged 20.7 points in his third season. He has No. 1-option upside at the age of plenty of this year's draft prospects. Most of the other teams in Wojnarowski's list can't (or in the Knicks' case, shouldn't) offer that.

And while those picks don't figure to be high in the draft, you never know what can happen in the future. And again, Irving's value is a bit diminished right now. Teams on track for top-three picks aren't lining up to surrender them for Kyrie.

Finally, a rebuilding team probably wouldn't be stoked to have Lowry's contract on the books through 2024, but rules are rules. Brooklyn has to take some money back to satisfy the CBA.

For Miami, a lineup with Irving, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo offers terrifying offensive upside and two of the league's best defenders. Filling out the rest of the rotation with reliable role players might push the Heat back to the Celtics' level.

Most Desirable: Los Angeles Clippers

The idea of a reunion with LeBron James in L.A. is intriguing, but he's 37 years old. Recapturing the magic of 2016 is far from a given. And it's hard to imagine Brooklyn wanting anything to do with Russell Westbrook's contract unless it can reel a third team into a deal to take that on.

Playing at Madison Square Garden would be fun, but what would be left of that team after a Kyrie trade? Would the New York Knicks even want to give up RJ Barrett for the possible headache that Irving might bring?

Joining Luka Doncic on the Dallas Mavericks could create a pair with an offensive dynamic similar to the one Kyrie and LeBron had in Cleveland, but it might also lead to similar tension.

Then there's the Philadelphia 76ers, who figure to have James Harden on the roster. And, well, those two have been down that road before.

That leaves the Los Angeles Clippers. They, too, have ball-dominant wings in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, but they may be past the individual prove-it phases of their careers that Luka is closer to. And the idea of Kyrie being surrounded by switchable, rangy defenders is intriguing.

The Deal: Kyrie Irving for Luke Kennard, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, a 2027 first-round pick swap and a 2028 first-round pick

This return is far from on par with Miami's (hence, not being in the "most realistic" slot). Kennard is four years older than Herro. Mann isn't quite the prospect Miami's Sixth Man of the Year is. And the salary filler (Powell) is on the books for two years longer than Lowry is.

This package does give Brooklyn some draft consideration, though. And it might be enough to get it done if every other team in the league is too scared to send any picks back. Brooklyn may just cut its losses and hope for more of a haul with a Durant deal.

For L.A., presumably getting Leonard and George back and plugging Kyrie into Reggie Jackson's role would make the Clippers one of the scariest teams in the West.

The Los Angeles Clippers have added Michigan forward Moussa Diabate with the No. 43 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

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Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Moussa Diabate

Position: C

Height: 6'9"

Pro Comparison: Usman Garuba

Scouting Report: Diabate's game and projected role are well defined, as he'll be called on to rim run, score in the post, protect the basket and switch defensively.

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Clippers Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Moussa Diabate: Rookie Scale Contract

Paul George, SG: $44.1M (2025)

Kawhi Leonard, SF: $44.1M (2025)

Norman Powell, SG: $18M (2026)

Marcus Morris Sr., SF: $16M (2024)

Luke Kennard, SG: $14M (2025)

Robert Covington, $12M (2024)

Terance Mann, SG: $1.4M (2023)

Reggie Jackson, PG: $10.8M (2023)

Ivica Zubac, C: $7M (2023, Team Option)

Jason Preston, PG: $1.5M (2024)

Brandon Boston Jr., SG: $1.4M (2024)

Free Agents

Rodney Hood, SF: UFA

Isaiah Hartenstein, C: UFA

Amir Coffey, SG, RFA

Moses Wright, F: RFA

Xavier Moon, SG: RFA

Jay Scrubb, SG: RFA

Nicolas Batum, SF: UFA

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Diabate was overlooked at times with the Wolverines last season, averaging just 9.0 points in 24.9 minutes per game. He still came through with 6.0 rebounds per game, including a team-high 2.4 on the offensive end, on his way to earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

Scouts are still more interested in the upside for the 6'9" forward with good athleticism and the ability to run the floor.

With a 7'3" wingspan, Diabate posted the second-highest vertical reach at the NBA draft combine (12'2"). His shuttle run (2.90 seconds) and max vertical jump (36.5 inches) also turned heads.

The former 5-star recruit might not be an immediate contributor at the next level, but he is loaded with upside.

Despite a report saying otherwise, the Los Angeles Clippers are not shopping Luke Kennard leading up to the 2022 NBA draft, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.

Heavy.com's Sean Deveney previously reported that the Clippers were shopping Kennard and "would look to move him next month if no deal can be reached."

Kennard had an impressive 2021-22 season for the Clippers, averaging 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 70 games while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 44.9 percent from deep. He was the best three-point shooter in the NBA last season.

It was a nice improvement from his first campaign in Los Angeles when he averaged 8.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 44.6 percent from deep.

The Detroit Pistons selected Kennard 12th in the 2017 draft. He spent the first three seasons of his career in the Motor City before being traded to the Clippers in a three-team deal.

Kennard signed a four-year, $64 million extension with the Clippers in December 2020. The deal included $56 million guaranteed and $8 million in incentives.

While the Clippers would benefit from trading Kennard and his contract to free up some cap space, they'll need him to be a key role player during the 2022-23 season, when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are expected to return to full health.

George appeared in just 31 games last season because of an elbow injury, while Leonard didn't play a single game as he recovered from a partial ACL tear in his knee.

With both players set to return next season, the Clippers could be among the teams from the Western Conference that could contend for the NBA title. In addition to boasting an impressive starting lineup, the team's bench with Kennard and Norman Powell could help push L.A. over the hump.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard "has not been restricted at all" in June as he continues his rehab from a partially torn ACL suffered during the 2021 NBA playoffs.

Law Murray of The Athletic provided the report.

I am told Leonard has not been restricted at all this month as he continues what has been to this point a successful rehabilitation process. Leonard has also been locked in mentally, as multiple sources suggest the mental hurdles that usually come with an ACL injury and long-term rehab have not deterred him. Though Leonard appears to be bigger, he has actually slimmed down at this point in his recovery and is continuing to take care of his body.

There's no timeline for Leonard's return, but Murray wrote that "the optimism surrounding Leonard’s improvement, however guarded, seems to be validated by those who have been around him regularly."

Leonard averaged 24.8 points on 51.2 percent shooting, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals last year for the Clippers. His season ended prematurely, however, after a knee injury forced him off the court during Game 4 of L.A.'s Western Conference second-round playoff series win against the Utah Jazz.

The exact nature of Leonard's injury was not revealed for the duration of the Clippers' postseason run. However, on July 13, 2021, the Clippers announced that Leonard underwent successful surgery for a partially torn ACL and that there was no timetable for his return.

Good news dropped on Jan. 6, 2022, when Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that Leonard was ahead of schedule in his rehab and that a return to action this season was "within reach."

"Leonard has amped up his workload in recent weeks and is looking stronger and stronger," Haynes said, per his sources.

However, Clippers head coach Ty Lue told reporters on Feb. 3 that Leonard "is probably not going to come back" in the 2021-22 season. He did end up sitting the entire campaign.

Haynes provided an encouraging report on Leonard after he was seen working out prior to the Clips' 112-97 loss to the Golden State Warriors on March 8:

"Kawhi Leonard participated in a rigorous pregame workout that lasted well over an hour... Clippers are being cautious and issuing a timetable on him/PG. Ty Lue said if they can't be back regular season, then probably not safe to bring them back for playoffs.”

- Chris Haynes pic.twitter.com/bBl4F4D6oa

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 9, 2022

Lue wasn't in the mood to talk about Leonard's possible return on March 9, though.

"I'm tired of hearing this shit. When they're playing, I'll let y'all know. I'm tired of talking about them every day. We can't win a game, but we gotta talk about Kawhi/PG. Talk about the guys in the locker room that's fighting & clawing every single day."

- Tyronn Lue pregame* pic.twitter.com/ddVKEOSRXe

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 10, 2022

Leonard's resume includes a pair of NBA championships and NBA Finals MVP awards. The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year has also earned five All-Star Game nods and five All-NBA Team recognitions.

The forward began his career with the San Antonio Spurs, where he stayed from 2011 to 2018. He was then traded to the Toronto Raptors, who won the 2018-19 NBA title with Leonard leading the way.

Leonard has spent the last three seasons with the Clippers after signing with them in free agency during the summer of 2019.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers released a rendering of the new scoreboard that will prominently feature at the organization's new Inglewood arena, the Intuit Dome.

Clippers released a new rendering of the giant scoreboard in their under-construction Inglewood arena. It's still huge. But now there's a little more sense of how huge. They say it will be the equivalent of 3,592 60-inch TVs put together. pic.twitter.com/TDeyZwtqK9

— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) June 8, 2022

The Dome is scheduled to be completed ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season and will be an 18,000-capacity arena, with its dome style a highlight of the project.

"I like the concept of the dome," Clippers chairman Steve Ballmer told Tim Newcomb of Forbes last September. "It feels sort of more unique, more energetic. We are trying to build a basketball mecca here and I wanted to make a certain kind of a statement and that is why we went dome. We are the Intuit Dome."

The new arena was designed to maximize the amount of sound during games, and per Newcomb will include "a socceresque 'The Wall' of 51 uninterrupted rows of seats behind the baseline to host close to 5,000 fans," an effort to get more fans closer to the action.

The scoreboard, meanwhile, was designed to not impede any sightlines, though it will surely be hard to miss.

Robert Covington will return to the Los Angeles Clippers after the sides agreed to terms on a two-year, $24 million contract extension, CAA's Andrew Morrison told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Covington was an impending free agent but was eligible to sign an extension before the July 1 window opened under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, according to Wojnarowski. 

Covington joined Los Angeles as part of a five-player trade from the Portland Trail Blazers in February. It was the fourth time he had been traded since the 2018-19 season, featuring stops with the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets.

The move to the Clippers was successful, as he averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 23 appearances. His 45.0 three-point percentage would have led the NBA over a full season.

After the season, Covington said he would "of course" want to re-sign with Los Angeles. 

"I had the most fun I’ve had all season," he told reporters in April. "I got back to that joy of just having fun. The team made it that way. The guys made it that way."

The 31-year-old gets another chance to play with the same teammates, potentially finding a long-term home after significant movement in recent years.

Covington has remained a quality two-way player at every location, especially excelling with his defensive versatility.

"I can guard pretty much 1 through 5," Covington said after his February trade. "For me, there's no matchup that scares me."

The Tennessee State alum earned first-team All-Defensive honors during the 2017-18 season and is consistently able to impact a game. In 71 contests last year with the Trail Blazers and Clippers, he averaged 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

On the offensive end, he has spread the floor with his 36.0 percent career three-point shooting.

This skill set in the rotation could help the Clippers get back toward contention if Kawhi Leonard and Paul George return to full strength in 2022-23.