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Los Angeles Clippers’ Free Agents: Who Should Stay And Who Should Go

By Cameron Stewart

May 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in game seven of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in game seven of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Dahntay Jones (31) celebrates with center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Jamal Crawford (11) after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in game seven of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center. Clippers won 111-109. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Dahntay Jones (31) celebrates with center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Jamal Crawford (11) after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in game seven of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center. Clippers won 111-109. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Dahntay Jones

The numbers show that Dahntay Jones was mostly irrelevant towards the team’s success last season. He played a team-low 3.7 minutes per game and had a team-low PER of 1.9. While his lack of minutes give a small sample size to accurately judge that PER, his PER would’ve ranked last in the league by far had he qualified for the statistic.

Jones was signed to a series of 10-day contracts in January before eventually being kept around for the remainder of the season. Before catching on as an end-of-the-bench veteran, he spent the previous season as a free agent. Jones built a reputation as a scrappy defender and chippy competitor throughout his career. Those qualities make him a pretty ideal end-of-the-bench guy who will practice hard and play with competitive fire if his number is called.

If Jones is to be brought back, it won’t be for what he can provide on the basketball court. It will be because of Doc Rivers’ trust in him as a veteran leader who provides value in the intangibles. Jones’ free agency should be towards the bottom of the Clippers’ priorities.

The Clippers will be without much room for improvement in free agency, which opens up the opportunity for Jones to return as a roster filler who will play for the minimum. The Clippers will undoubtedly have to sign a few aging vets or young players who have failed to make a mark for the minimum.

In my opinion, the Clippers should go for the same strategy for filling out a roster that their Staples Center roommates have gone with for the past few years. The Lakers have signed many former lottery picks who have seen their career flame out a bit. In this way, the Lakers have signed cheap, young talent with a little upside for being rotation players such as Kendall Marshall, Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson, and Ed Davis. While those players shouldn’t sniff a starting lineup, they could at least give the team a bit of much-needed depth.

Doc Rivers should only bring back Jones as a last resort to filling out the roster.

Next: Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Closing Out The Finals

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