While the Clippers continue to field trade offers for star forward Kawhi Leonard, they have thus far been unimpressed by what teams are willing to offer and are signaling their desire to move forward with Leonard, Tomer Azarly and Brett Siegel report for Clutch Points.
The Clippers have been in due diligence mode when it comes to fielding calls on Leonard’s availability, but they are not initiating trade conversations themselves, Azarly and Siegel write, adding that the club considers the offers it has received so far to be “underwhelming.” L.A. is rumored to be unimpressed with a Raptors‘ construction centered around Brandon Ingram and didn’t propose a counteroffer, according to Clutch Points’ sources.
If Toronto included All-Rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles, it could shift the calculus, but the Raptors have given no indication they’re interested in parting ways with last year’s lottery pick. As for the Mavericks, their offer would likely need to include young center Dereck Lively II to pique the Clippers’ interest, per Azarly and Siegel.
There is also said to be some level of mutual interest between the Clippers and Leonard in coming to terms on an extension to keep the two-time champion in L.A. long-term, though it’s unclear how such a deal would be impacted by the ongoing investigation into Leonard’s connection with Aspiration. Azarly and Siegel add that the two sides are currently “far apart” on what the numbers in an extension would look like. For what it’s worth, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca hears from sources that Leonard is unlikely to end up signing an extension with the Clippers.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Following the news that the Nets are declining his $6.25MM player option, the Lakers are a team seen as a potential suitor for Ziaire Williams in free agency, The Athletic’s Dan Woike reports. Adding wing depth and getting younger and more athletic are priorities for the Lakers this offseason. The 6’9″ 24-year-old Williams, who went to high school with Bronny James at Sierra Canyon, is a versatile defender who has shot the ball a little better from outside over the past couple years.
- Cameron Carr was projected to be drafted somewhere near the back of the lottery, but he said he’s not disappointed that he fell to the Lakers at pick 24, Benjamin Royer writes for the Orange County Register. Instead, he calls it “a blessing.” “It didn’t feel real for the first couple minutes when I found out,” Carr said. “It was trying to get my head around, ‘Man, I’m about to walk across the stage and be an NBA player.’ I’ve dreamed of this my whole life, especially since I was a kid. So it took a second. Still trying to get my head wrapped around it, but nothing but excitement and happiness. I feel more motivation to work.” He added that he knows that defense will be the area he needs to improve the most, especially in a league where he’s no longer automatically the most athletic player on the court. Carr comes from an NBA family, as his father, Chris Carr, spent six years in the league and was runner-up to Kobe Bryant is the 1997 dunk contest. “I’ve always wanted to be better than him,” the younger Carr said of his father. “I’ve always been behind, so I want to show he’s put a lot of work in me becoming a better man. So I feel the only way I can credit him and show I’m thankful for him is by putting in the work and using it every single day. He was a heck of a player, so it’s some big footsteps I’ve got to follow and a long journey.”
- Carr isn’t the only player who wasn’t taken as early as he expected on draft night. Koa Peat fell to No. 30 before the Suns traded up to select him, but like Carr, Peat is focused on where he landed, not where he didn’t, Duane Rankin writes for AZ Central. “For me, I think the fit and situation is better than the pick,” he said. “The picks are out the window now. You’re going into the Summer League, and those picks don’t even matter. First pick, second pick, third pick, they don’t matter. You got to compete against those guys every day.” Peat is as homegrown as it gets, growing up in Arizona before spending his lone college season with the Wildcats. He hopes he can bring the same kind of winning attitude to the Suns as he did in his previous stops.
