Speights Switches To Clippers

By Connor Aylward
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Updated: July 8, 2016

With roster spots dwindling for the Clippers the club decided to fill one of the few remaining ones on Friday morning as Los Angeles reached a multi-year agreement with former Golden State Warrior Marreese Speights.

Free agent Marreese Speights has reached agreement on a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell @TheVertical.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 8, 2016

The 28 year-old big man out of Florida has the ability to space the floor. A quality that has eluded Clippers lately. Players like Spencer Hawes have tried to fill that gap for the club in the past and have failed, but this feels different. Speights will be entering the Clippers locker room with the championship ring he won with Golden State two season ago, and the confidence of being one of the best backup bigs in the game right now. His championship experience and shooting as a 6’10 big made him a hot commodity among lower earning free agents who can make an impact. The Warriors had significant interest in retaining his services but rumors indicate he came to the Clippers under the notion he would remain with the club for the long-term.

Speights is taking the minimum salary from the Clippers.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 8, 2016

With the second year of the veteran’s minimum contract being a player option, it will be entirely up to Speights if he wants to continue his run with Los Angeles after this upcoming season. However, averaging 7.1 points 3.3 rebounds per game last season while shooting 39% from three-point range should allow him to fit in with his new team very well.

It is safe to assume Speights will be filling in as the backup to DeAndre Jordan in a role similar to the one Cole Aldrich played last season. This was a position of necessity for Los Angeles as without the addition of Speights the team would have been left with rookie Diamond Stone to fill that spot and he has had quite a few struggles in Summer League thus far.

Overall this is a great signing for the Clippers and Clipper Nation will have to grow to like a player that has not always been a favorite in recent years. Speights hasn’t been a big fan of the Clippers either as his criticisms of Blake Griffin have been well publicized. But it’s beginning to look like that is just water under the bridge and his signing indicates he is willing to do whatever he can to win.

Thanks for reading along Clipper Nation!

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