Los Angeles Clippers: What To Do With Spencer Hawes?

The first day after the National Basketball Association’s annual summer moratorium on free agent signings and trades, July 11, 2014, the Los Angeles Clippers signed two players to fill out the roster on what they hoped was a championship contender.

One of those players was Jordan Farmar, whom Doc Rivers described at the time as a “good fit for the way we play.” Farmar was surprised by the signing, but felt comfortable staying in Los Angeles.

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“I didn’t imagine myself signing with the Clippers,” Farmar said. “Life has a funny way of just working itself out. I’m blessed with this great opportunity. I’m fortunate that I’m wanted here and I’m happy to be here and I look forward to the future.”

If only Farmar knew that a few short months later, he would become the face of a maligned bench unit that was as unproductive as they were disgruntled, then perhaps he would have been a little less excited to be staying in the City of Angels.

Luckily for the Clippers, Farmar was only signed to the bi-annual exception amount of two years and $4.2 million, with the second year an option year. Four million dollars is nothing to sneeze at, unless you are Steve Ballmer, but it pales in comparison to what Spencer Hawes signed for.

While LeBron James was the big fish in last year’s free agent season, Hawes was recruited by plenty of teams. General managers around the association saw what he had done in the tail end of the 2013-14 season and drooled at the prospect of a shot-blocking, rebounding big man who shot 40 percent from three point range.

Eventually, though, Hawes would choose the warm weather and title hopes of Los Angeles. He was even more excited than Farmar to sign his four-year, $23 million deal.

“Being able to come into a situation where you know what the goal is, you know what’s expected and obviously the talent level has the opportunity [to win a championship] as much as anybody,” Hawes said.

“I think as a big guy you look at two things: you look at your point guard — and obviously with [Chris Paul] here it’s second to none — and you look at the guys in the frontcourt because you have to have that chemistry with them. I think I’ll be able to play with both of those guys and hopefully make it easier for them, and [they’ll do the] same for me.”

Hawes has not lived up to the hype. This year he has averaged only 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. While his minutes have been limited, even with Griffin out due to elbow surgery, Hawes has stepped up his game to the tune of 8.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in the month of February.

That is not getting it done. After hitting more than 40 percent of his threes last year, Hawes is nailing just 32 percent so far this year. He has not been able to stretch the floor like Rivers had hoped.

Not only that, but he is also not rebounding the same, as his rebounding rate has plummeted from 14.9 percent last year to just 11.5 percent this year.

The biggest sign is the plus/minus numbers. With Griffin out, Hawes has been a staggering minus-10.6 so far this month, even while the Clippers have gone 2-2 against a rather daunting schedule.

Hawes has been a disappointment, yes, but the big question is what to do with him and his contract after the season is over. He will still have three years and close to $17 million left, while producing well below league average.

With a big DeAndre Jordan payday coming up, the Clippers cannot afford dead money like Hawes on the books.

Los Angeles could use the stretch provision on Hawes to lessen the salary cap hit, but that would also lengthen the time Hawes is on the books from three more years to six more years. Still, it would make the cap hit manageable.

The Clippers could also seek to trade Hawes, although his value will be greatly diminished after such a bad year. Nevertheless, no player is untradeable and next to the likes of Gilbert Arenas, Hawes does not look so bad.

There are plenty of teams who would be interested in acquiring Hawes, although it is questionable what kind of return the Clippers would get and what kind of sweetener they might have to add in order to dump Hawes.

Teams like Philadelphia will always be willing to take on money in return for draft picks, but given that Rivers already sent away the Clippers first-round pick in the ill-fated Jared Dudley deal.

Most likely, the Clippers would have to take back an equally bad contract, and just hope the new player takes advantage of a fresh start.

There is no great solution for Los Angeles in this scenario, but right now, keeping Hawes for the next three years will be tough to swallow. His poor shooting and limited role will make him both unhappy and unproductive.

Los Angeles should at least explore the trade possibilities this summer, and hope that another team is willing to take a gamble on a player whose production dropped the moment he got paid.

Next: Are The Clippers Boring?

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