More Offseason Analysis: Coaching changes, news | Free Agency | Draft
The Los Angeles Clippers and Spencer Hawes have agreed to a four-year, $23 million contract, as first reported by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal includes a 15-percent trade kicker and a player option for the fourth year. It might wind up being a sign-and-trade, if Cleveland agrees to it:
Doc Rivers trying to work sign-and-trade w/ Cavs for Hawes, preserving Clippers exception to still target Paul Pierce, sources tell Y.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 5, 2014
Hawes was "determined to sign with a contender," according to Yahoo Sports, which makes sense considering the teams on which he's played. He spent last season split between the tanking Sixers and the disappointing Cavaliers, and has only made the postseason twice in his seven-year career, with Philadelphia in 2011 and 2012.
"Even taking a little less money, this opportunity was too exciting to pass up," Hawes told Yahoo Sports on Friday night. "I've had a taste of the playoffs before, but being a part of this team will be just incredible. You get to a point where you really realize what's important, and I was thinking: 'What would my 12-year-old self have done? What would he prioritize?' It was this opportunity and what they're building with the Clippers."
The 26-year-old big man made 42 percent of his three-pointers last season, and he averaged 13.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He is far from flashy, and not a huge rim protector, but for a team like the Clippers he's capable of making a big difference. The team was just begging for some production out of its frontcourt outside of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan last season, trying a cast of characters at power forward that included Glen Davis, Stephen Jackson, Hedo Turkoglu, Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens.
Now there will be no doubt who will be Los Angeles' first big off the bench, and Hawes will help spread the floor with his shooting. The contract is reasonable enough, considering stretch-four Patrick Patterson just signed a contract worth $6 million per season with the Toronto Raptors. The Clippers improved themselves here, but they still need to find a way to upgrade their defense.
