NBA Free Agency: Clippers lose Speights to Orlando Magic
By Keith Rivas
NBA Free Agency really hasn’t been nice to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Imagine if the Clippers had lost DeAndre Jordan to the Dallas Mavericks via NBA Free Agency like they were supposed to not long ago. Chris Paul is now with Houston, J.J. Redick has found a new home in Philadelphia, and now Marreessee Speights is jumping ship.
According to an article from Bleacher Report, Speights has agreed to a short deal with the Orlando Magic. With the move, Los Angeles loses another player that could’ve been a key contributor for them in a crucial season.
Worth just north of two million dollars, Speights is getting more than a reasonable amount of money for just one season. The Magic haven’t made much noise in the Eastern Conference, but with how drastic everything has changed this summer, adding Speights may help their chances.
As for the Clippers, this move may just mean it’ll be extremely hard on them next summer. While it’s terrible to lose star players, imagine how the franchise will do in the near future. All of the sudden, none of the big names want to play for them.
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Speights is by no means one of the best players in the league, but if even he won’t sign with them, what does that say about the state of the team?
Additionally, this doesn’t help the fact that we aren’t really sure what to expect from them next season. Patrick Beverley could be a play maker, and Lou Williams might not be the same guy off the bench.
All in all, it’s the least hurtful move over the course of the off-season. Los Angeles is hoping it can stay competitive, even with teams like Minnesota, Houston, and Oklahoma City making superstar moves.
In his decision, Speights probably weighed the competition factor just as much, if not more, than anything financial. Orlando is in a good spot to at least make the playoffs as a low seed.
The Clippers could have such a rough season that the regular part of the year is all that they end up tasting. Plus, Speights had just come off time in Golden State where he competed for a ring with some of the best in the game.
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However, as long as the team doesn’t let this loss affect them mentally, everything will be just fine. This is the least of their worries at this point in time and at this juncture of the franchise.