Guards Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley could see their times with the Los Angeles Clippers soon come to an end.
Several front office executives recently told Sam Amick of The Athletic that they believe big moves from the Clippers are imminent.
“The Clippers have to get rid of Lou Williams (who is on an expiring deal worth $8 million),” one executive said. “They’ve ultimately talked about chemistry issues, so I’m shocked that Lou Williams is still there. I’m kind of shocked that Pat Beverley is still there. … They’ll make those changes, I think. I can’t imagine (Lou and Pat Beverley, who has two seasons and a combined $27.6 million remaining) being on the team much longer. I think (heading into the draft and free agency) they were just trying to get the best deal, and they couldn’t close any deals.
The Clippers embarrassingly blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2020 playoffs. A reported lack of chemistry was evident in the Clippers’ implosion.
The loss led the franchise to part ways with head coach Doc Rivers and make tweaks to the roster.
Now, it appears Williams and Beverley could be the next casualties.
“Lou and Pat — I think with both those guys, there has been some chatter,” another executive said. “I think they’d move them because I think there’s still some conflict there. But Pat’s contract is not that easy to move. And No. 2, I suspect they want to be really careful if they’re going to move Lou because obviously, on the court, he presents problems for teams. But yeah, I don’t think they’re done. Just knowing their group and (Clippers owner Steve) Ballmer, yeah, I think he’s going to try to be aggressive — really aggressive — and try to make another move with those guys.”
Williams, 34, has reportedly been on the trading block. The veteran collected 18.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game last season.
As for Beverley, he is one of the Clippers’ defensive anchors. The 32-year-old put up 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Yet, Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard apparently wants the organization to replace Beverley with a true point guard. Beverley allegedly wasn’t happy that the Clippers didn’t treat him in a special way last season.
