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According to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com, free agent point guard Raymond Felton has reached an agreement with the Clippers.
Free agent guard Raymond Felton reaches agreement with Clippers, league sources inform @clevelanddotcom.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 14, 2016
Felton was a key rotation piece for the Mavericks last season, playing 27.4 minutes per game and starting 31 games. He averaged 9.5 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. The one thing Felton is not is a three point shooter--he has a 32.7% career rate and shot just 28.2% last season.
He also stepped his game up in the playoffs, averaging 15 points, 4.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 34.4 minutes per game. While Felton has been known to have conditioning issues, he was fine last season--the Clippers will need to stay on top of him to keep him serviceable.
The Clippers have been looking for a veteran point guard to help provide depth. Last season, they turned to Pablo Prigioni in times of need, but his age and limitations left them looking for an upgrade. Prigioni has since signed with the Houston Rockets. With Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford as their backup guards, the Clippers need an experienced, stable point guard to come in at times and run the show. Felton, who played 2,200 minutes for the 42-40 Mavericks last season, is probably overqualified to step into Pablo's 800 minutes of spot usage, injury insurance, and garbage time.
Due to the Clippers' cap situation, Felton's deal is likely for the league minimum. Because of Felton's veteran experience, that will fetch him $1,551,659. If the contract is for two seasons, the second year will be worth $1,605,967. Felton could have a player option for that second year, similar to Marreese Speights' new deal and contracts for Wesley Johnson and Cole Aldrich last summer.
The Clippers signed rookie big man Diamond Stone earlier today, and Felton now brings the roster to 14 guaranteed contracts. Presently, the 15th spot is between Branden Dawson's non-gauranteed deal and David Michineau's draft rights. It is looking increasingly likely that Michineau will spend the season in France, with the last spot coming down to Dawson or a free agent wing.