Yesterday Doc Rivers said the Clippers were not done filling out their roster yet. While the remaining needs were obvious, another big man or back up point guard, the thought was that Doc would wait until closer to training camp to add any more players. The wait wait was much shorter with report first coming out this afternoon from Shams Charania that the Clippers have reached a deal with Pablo Prigioni.
Free agent guard Pablo Prigioni has reached agreement on a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, league source tells RealGM.
lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 22, 2015
Prigioni had been included in the most recent Ty Lawson trade from the Rockets to the Denver Nuggets, where he was immediately waived by the team. Having cleared waivers, the 38 year old has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with the Clippers for a one year deal at the vet minimum.
Clippers fans may know Prigioni best for his help in doing "dastardly things" against the Clippers in Game 7 for the Rockets. Pablo is an experienced overseas veteran having played for many different clubs in Argentina and Spain, winning different Spanish King's Cups and Spanish Supercups. Prigioni has 3 years of NBA experience having played for the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.
What Prigioni brings to the table is something the Clippers' bench sorely lacks: shooting and a pass first mentality. With a bench that currently includes Austin Rivers, Josh Smith, Lance Stephenson, and Jamal Crawford, Prigioni will bring a different look off the bench as a floor spacer and someone looking to share the rock. While he may not offer much defensively, as their 3rd string point guard, the Clippers just picked up a career 40% shooter from deep and a steady hand to step in and run the offense.
The Clippers are up to 14 guaranteed contracts and their roster currently stands at:
PG | Chris Paul | Austin Rivers | Pablo Prigioni | |
SG | J.J. Redick | Jamal Crawford | C.J. Wilcox | |
SF | Paul Pierce | Lance Stephenson | Wesley Johnson | Jordan Hamilton (non-guaranteed) |
PF | Blake Griffin | Josh Smith | Branden Dawson | |
C | DeAndre Jordan | Cole Aldrich |