Clippers to Meet with Kevin Durant in Free Agency

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers are one of several teams to meet with KD in Free Agency. Doc better start working with his recruiting pitch.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--kd-planning-to-host-free-agent-meetings-at-single-site-164954322.html

Hmmm- thought there wasn't cap space available for the Clippers to sign him outright? Perhaps it is to discuss a sign-and-trade?

Sign and trade DJ for Hassan Whiteside and get Durant. I know I'm dreaming.

I think if there is mutual interest, the Clippers could trade everyone away except CP3, Blake, Deandre, and the rookies. Then sign Durant and fill the rest of the team with rookies and minimum contract guys. Or, they could trade Blake Griffin for a bunch of assets and serviceable players to a team like Boston or Denver and sign Durant outright if the Thunder don't want to sign + trade. But the first step is for Durant to be interested.

White side is going to get a **** load of money...and yes you are dreaming.

Key words...one of SEVERAL teams. Define several, lol. Yes, there is a chance.

They will have to clear as much as they can, and if that's not enough, looks like the big 3 will take a pay cut lol

How would that makes us have cap space when Whiteside will make more money than DJ?

Could do a sign and trade, and there are ways to clear space for Durant.

It would likely be a sign and trade of Griffin for Durant, which I'm okay with.

Don't get your hopes up. There's a 90% chance he'll return to OKC. 5% for GSW. And the rest can make pitch but that's it.

Not trying to be controversial, but I'd say our only shot is if KD wants a black coach. As far as basketball goes, he'd likely be better off at a few of the other teams over us.

That has always pissed me off. about CP. What if Reddick had said that he wanted a white coach. If this were the days of affermative action in sports I could understand. It's racist.

Keep in mind, this happened while Donald Sterling was still the owner....Chris simply pulled a power play on the old racist bastard. I can't really blame him for doing that to Sterling, can you?

Chris always speaks very highly of his (white) coach Skip Prosser from Wake Forest. Any demands he may have made about the hiring of a black coach were entirely because of Donald Sterling owning the team.

Durant is just going around, seeing what's out there and keeping his options open. He's at least giving the Clippers a chance to make their pitch. But that's all it'll be: a pitch. Even if he wanted to come here, the Clippers would have to trade one of the big 3 just to make it happen, and then would have to fill a bench of rookies and maybe a vet if they were willing to take a pay cut. We would be hurting our team just to get Durant, not sure it's worth it. But like I said, at least he's willing to hear us out. He'll be playing for OKC or Golden State. My money is on the Thunder, especially after they just fleeced Orlando.

I think Durant is just going to re-sign for 1 year in OKC. Him and Westy will give them one last chance to at least make it to the nba finals.

Yep, I've been saying that all year, it's not what people want to hear but it's what's going to happen.

can someone please post a quote from cp3 saying he wants a black coach? Just curious if he actually said that or is it just school girl gossip talk.

The way I heard it he just insisted on Doc Rivers in particular, not so sure it was about skin color. I think he just wanted to play for Doc.

I prefer trading blake for future assets and younger cheaper players and signing durant outright.

So Funny. Lakers wants a meeting with KD. They was told no. In the end, if they one later. There chances are 0%. Lol.

Read MLK's I Have a Dream speech. Those who chose the moral high ground. do not stoop to the level of a Sterling. I think Cicero would agree. Anyway CP probably didn't say that, at least it doesn't sound like his public persona. KD will stay with OKC. Why should he leave? Except for some bone headed moves they could have beaten the Dubs

What's so immoral about twisting the arm of a known racist billionaire if it serves only to make him hire Doc Rivers (arguably the best coach available at the time anyway)?

We all have no idea how CP really felt about resigning to play for a guy like Donald Sterling. If Chris wielding the bargaining power he held at that time makes him lesser than MLK and gets him to sign an extension....that's fine lol.

MLK also said blacks need to put their money in their own banks, join black insurance companies, and get reparations from the government.

Not to turn this into a race convo, but don't twist MLK's mission with your own agenda to expose some kind of false reverse racism against whites that has never existed.

If cp3 (which he didn't) requested a black coach, that's not racism. Prejudice, but not racism, because racism is systematic not individual.

It's school girl, hear say gossip, and it's finally great to know that someone knows that racism is systematic and not individual. I Have been explaining this to people for so long, it's so refreshing to hear someone else say it

It was by "multiple sources", none mentioned or implied and in the NY Daily News. Nothing was confirmed, he never said anything anywhere, but some people just ran with it.

Sooo.. take that for what you want lol...

You guys are correct that the term "racism" is used for just about everything involving race amd a lot of things that aren't really racism.

Now I do disagree that racism is just systematic, that's not really true, racism is individual too. I feel like this is a construct the has been made so people can say the white people in North America can't experience racism. They can, yes, they can't experience the same extent of systematic racism as it plays out in prejudice, negative stereotypes and discrimination that is overtly or subverted promoted by society, but that's just racism at it's worst levels.

Systematic racism is of course the racism that is more of an oppression on a group of people though and has multiple effects some not even recognized directly. It can cause a group to essentially become prejudiced against itself, so I understand why people want to characterize the as the "real" racism, but I don't think it is helpful to suppress the individual experiences of racism anyone of any color, etc could experience in their own micro communities because of the larger racism a certain society might have. Both are racism, both are important, both need to be addressed.

Still, Paul wanting a black coach would be prejudice, not racism. Racism is a prejudice based on the idea that ones own race is superior. Racism has a requirement of superiority/inferiority that differentiates it from just prejudice and stereotyping. Someone can be prejudiced or stereotype people without being racist, but those things are part of being racist.

It would be racist if Paul was said to want a black coach because he did not believe that white coaches were intelligent enough to coach. That would be saying black people are superior and white people inferior and that would be racist.

You just said it right there, one race is superior. Race is not individual. That's a group of people. If there's any proof Chris wanted a black coach, then that means Chris wanted any black coach and a coach that isn't white. Now if Chris paul individually said, I want doc rivers the individual, then he's not referring to black coaches but the individual itself. Its not just prejudice to want a black coach, it's racist, it's like me saying I don't want an Asian driver to teach me how to drive because he's Asian. You're basically saying, or the person that "knows" chris Paul said he wanted a black coach, that Paul doesn't want a white coach because he's white

First, it was Malcolm and Garvey not MLK who had the idea of recycling black dollars. Malcolm was a Separatist as were the Panthers. I had friends who were Panthers. They did not like MLK. MLK was for total integration not separatism. I was a charter member of a group called Recycling Black Dollars that attempted to promote black businesses in LA. so I'm a bit familiar with the concept and the history. It failed miserably. Google it. KIng did not ask for reparations. You have things a bit confused. Racism is both systemic and individual. You can have a racist person in a non racist organization and vice versa. As far as reverse racism, it exists. People of my grandparents generation HATED non blacks, that means whites, Asians and Jews. My grandfather and my uncle hate whites passionately and didn't want to be around them at all. If they had businesses, they never in a million years would have hired anybody white. As a matter of fact, in those days no black business would have ever hired a white person. I loved my family, but they were racists. Some never used the word "white". It was always an epithet which was basically the "N" word but as applied to whites. They rarely used white person's name without reference to his race often using "That white boy". instead of his name. Jews were often called, "That old Jew" Sorry David, Mom referred to Asians as stringy haired yellow people. .Asians never did one solitary thing to hurt African Americans. My family was not unique. When her life took her out of the black community bless her, Mom realized that your soul and not your color....

Then you don't know as much about MLK as you think. What I said was a quote directly from an speech MLK not an opinion. He said "take your money and put it in black banks", get your insurance policies from black insurance companies". Anyone who thinks racism is about "emotions", and not "liking" people, really are not adequately educated on the subject. I'm very well educated on the subject, and have been studying it my whole life for the most part. (Father a PHD and professor of socialology). To say your family "hated white people" so that made them racists is a very misinformed statement. Actually during that time period for a person of color to "hate white people", actually was an intelligent reaction. Racism isn't "hating" anyone. In fact everyone has a right to hate who they want. The problem becomes when there I is a system of injustice put into place that allows one to "act" on that hate against others without consequence. Racism can only be a group phenomenon, simply because race by its very definition is a group of people. If I smack a "white" person, and call him "cracker", that's not racism. That's a "hate" crime, but not racism. Now if I had the power to allow everyone to smack "white" people without adequate consequences, that would constitute racism. There is only one racism that exists on the planet today, and that is white supremacy. They are the only ones with the power to enforce injustice onto other "groups" as a whole, which is what they do on a nearly daily basis. Show me where any other "race" in America has the power (court systems, police force, military force, political power, and/or economic power) to force "people" into systematic mistreatment? As far as having a "black president", what exactly does that mean? Does it mean systematic....

Options for getting Durant:

Sign and trade for Durant

Renounce all FA's and then trade one of Blake or DJ for players with less salary so we have enough space for the full max

Renounce all FA's and trade everyone but the rookies, CP, Blake, DJ and Dawson and have about $3 million less than the max to offer Durant

Agent0 is there a possible scenario where KG takes a 1 year lower deal then get maxed the following year? i mean like a plausible possibility.

http://www.clipsnation.com/2016/6/25/12031812/clippers-off-season-2016-kevin-durant-scenarios

He could do that, but I couldn't tell you if he would want to do that

So in other words anything is possible, just likely (in this case) less then .005% chance of actually happening. Well, that was a fun excerise in futility, lol. Next.

How about this...would you do it if you were in his (very large) shoes?. Think I know the answere to that, lol.

I don't know, I personally wouldn't mind the 1+1 and then getting a max next season, now if you're asking what team I would go to in order to accomplish that, that's hard to say without being in the situation. If it is me personally, I wouldn't go to GS as I personally wouldn't want to be the guy who just goes to the team that's already great and won 73 games. OKC was just one win away from the finals, so that's very tempting though they did change things around and it would depend on how I felt about that.

Ok, but IF it were me I'd go to one the teams with the best chance to get to the finals...OKC, GSW or SA. Nothing's guaranteed, but those teams minus any significant injuries has the highest probabilities of getting there.

And I would take the 1+1 at full price and get the bigger pay day the following season. Although he could take a pay cut for one year (especially when you earned $36 mil in endorsements in 2015/16). Still think he'd pick the best overall teams at the finals, which are the 3 named.

We can debate this all day. Let's agree to disagree. The bottom line is that violence breeds violence and hate breeds only hate. You have the right to hate anybody you choose but you only poison yourself and it accomplishes nothing. Let's move on. Racism whatever your definition is will never be cured by hate. Hating the Dubs is fine.

Remember Bob Marley. Let's open a Corona and pop in a lime.

Well just about any team Durant goes to gets a better chance to go to the finals. If Durant takes a couple million dollar paycut and joins a Clipper team with CP, Blake and DJ, then they have arguably a better chance of going to the finals than OKC with Durant.

Now joining GS is his best chance, but again not everyone likes the idea of being the guy that just joins the best team.

The thing is the the team he joins changes the landscape. If he joins the Clippers then OKC is no longer a threat, SA is not a good matchup, so we just have GS, and the Clippers + Durant can definitely best GS.

So it's not really such an easy decision for him.

And oh how I hate the Duds! Thoroughly enjoyed their finals melt down. Don't know what the big deal about this CP thing is, he didn't hold out for a black coach, he insisted on it being Doc Rivers in particular. Not so sure it was about skin color, I think he just wanted to play for Doc specifically. I think people have just put their own spin on it.

I don't see how Durant even fits in In SA.

You have Kawai Leonard at the SF position and Aldridge at the PF position.

Unless you move Aldridge to C, which he doesn't like where does Durant fit there. I have heard people say move Leonard to SG, but take a defensive player of the year out of his natural position at SF to play Sg full time seems weird.

Durant clearly has the best fit on the clippers. Our other 3 max players compliment him perfectly.

Unfortunately the money situation just doesn't seem like it's going to work.

Durant on the Warriors is a guaranteed championship, but at this point it seems so lame for him to do that I don't think he will.

OKC may just be the only realistic option for him.

Having a better chance and the best chances are two different things. The best chances were what I was referring too. Anyway....

Okay, but if Durant joins the Clippers the two teams with the best chance at the finals in the West become the Clippers and Warriors, and the Clippers would have a roster that can really beat on the Warrior with a frontcourt of Durant / Griffin / Jordan and a PG like Paul who can in any game match Curry in terms of production. So that's kind of what I'm getting at. We're talking about adding Durant to a team that has been winning 55+ games when healthy over the past 4 seasons with a "low" of 53 games the season Blake misses most of the year. If Durant doesn't decide to return to OKC, then the decision is not easy. Going to GS is the "easy way out", and a lot of players don't like to do that if they are stars. I'm the kind of person who would not want to do that. So out of the Western team options it becomes a question of SA or LAC if Durant has the mindset of not wanting to just join the 73 win team. The Spurs vs Clippers choice is not an easy one. Spurs will have 31 year old Aldridge and 25 year old Kawhi as the main attracting factors outside of Pop. After that the next best asset is probably Jonathan Simmons. Parker/Diaw - 34, Ginobili - 39, Duncan - 40. There's a lot of uncertainty in how those guys will be producing next season come playoff time. With the Clippers the roster will be barren if they want to keep CP - 31, DJ - 28, Griffin - 27. The Clippers would have the similar ability to go after ring chasing vets like a David West for the minimum if Durant joins them, and of course the rest of....

The move to SG for Leonard wouldn't be much of an adjustment for him as he guards the oppositions SG's a lot. A player of his caliber could and would handle it with not too much trouble. And with that move, Durant would fit just fine. Does it happen?...chances are not high, but right behind the chances of him re-signing with OKC or going to GSW.

With the salary cap going up how we do not have enough to afford Durant? I don't understand lol

As in affording Durant comfortably with keeping DJ - Blake - CP while still acquiring Durant. We can finally have a legit chance of making it to the western conference finals and finally winning a championship lol

Salary cap goes up = max contract amount goes up. Also calculating cap space is not as simple as people tend to think, there are some hidden rules you have to know about. Durant's max is $26.6 million. If we clear every single player off the roster except for CP/Blake/DJ, Johnson ($1 million), Dawson ($874K) and the two other 2nd round rookies who have no cap holds and would have a $0 cap charge but also don't hold a roster spot, well that makes it seem like we only have $66 million in salary, $28 million under the cap. Waived players salary Wait though, we waived some players and stretched them, Delfino ($650K), Farmar ($510,922) and Raduljica ($252,042), total is $1,412,964. Adding those guys puts us up to $67.4 million. Salary cap is $94 million, so that means we are $26.6 million below the cap, just enough for Durant! Incomplete Roster Charge Well wait a minute. The NBA charges what is called an "incomplete roster charge" in the off-season. For every empty roster spot (signed players, cap holds or players given offer sheets) that you have under 12 players in the off-season you are charged $543K. So according to the salaries we have just 5 players, which means we have 7 empty roster spots. $543,000 x 7 = $3,801,000 Total salary: $3,801,000 roster charge + $67,400,00 active players + dead cap = $71,201,000 True cap space = $22,799,000 which is $3.8 million under the max amount. Offer sheet adds $543 K to salary If we give Durant an offer sheet it takes away an empty roster spot, freeing up an extra $543K, so the maximum amount we can offer Durant if we want to keep CP/BG/DJ/Johnson/Dawson is about $23,342,000 which is till $3,258,000 under his possible maximum salary. Clearing Johnson and Dawson is not that beneficial If we also moved Brice Johnson and....

Here is nice detailed info on how the Clippers can get Kevin Durant:

As far as LAC, we don't have a Livingston or Igudala. We won't have Cole. We have no bench. Wouldn't GSW be better with somebody like Leonard?

OMG. So thrilled to know Durant has given the Clippers an opportunity to meet with him. I never thought it could happen. Multiple radio and TV host have stated they believe the Clippers will trade Blake for Durant. It appears the Clippers Organization was not too pleased with Blake's off the court episode. Personally I'm not pleased with his on the court performance or off the court saga. I hear Durant lives in Los Angeles during the off season which would make the transition that much better.

PLEASE Mr. Ballmer you can make this happen for the Clippers, the fans and Los Angeles. I'm counting on you.

Go Clippers

The Nevada Fans

I second what he said..

bring Durant here,

send Blake home..