NBA Free Agency Rumors: Clippers to Meet With Joe Ingles

According to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune, the Clippers are set to meet with Utah Jazz wing Joe Ingles in Los Angeles tomorrow. Ingles, a skilled 6’8” player capable at both wing positions, averaged 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Jazz last season in 24 minutes a game. He also shot 44.1% from deep and provided stifling defense, almost taking J.J. Redick off of the map in the Clippers’ first-round series against the Jazz.

Ingles was notably cut by the Clippers during their 2014 training camp before signing on with the Jazz and becoming a key rotation player. While he is 29 years old, he’s a restricted free agent because he has only three years of NBA experience. Restricted free agency means that the Jazz can exceed the cap to match any contract offer that Ingles agrees to with another team.

Given the Clippers’ limitations, it seems unlikely that they would be able to pay Ingles enough to scare off the Jazz, even if they were able to meet Joe’s demands. As currently constructed, they could only offer a 4-year, $36 million deal using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The team could move salary to offer a bigger contract, but it seems hard to toe the line between a massive overpay and a deal that Utah would simply match.