NBA Free Agency 2016

Anthony Davila

LOS ANGELES – Eleven years ago, Chris Paul heard his name called as the fourth pick at the 2005 NBA Draft.

One pick later, the team closest to Paul’s hometown selected Raymond Felton, with the North Carolina guard remaining in the state and going to Charlotte.

One round later, Brandon Bass became Paul’s teammate, as New Orleans selected the LSU forward with the 33rd overall pick.

Now, three of the most tenured members of the 2005 NBA Draft class are together on the Clippers. 

“Brandon and Raymond, who were part of my draft class, it’s pretty cool to be on the same team as them,” Paul said this week at the Watts-Willowbrook Boys &amp; Girls Club, where he was unveiling a new golf simulator for the children.

The Clippers, despite their cap restraints, managed to re-sign Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson and Luc Mbah a Moute while bringing in Bass and Felton, as well as Marreese Speights and Alan Anderson, the latter going undrafted in the same 2005 class as Paul, Felton and Bass.

“I’m excited about it,” Paul said about the new additions. “We definitely signed some veterans, some seasoned NBA guys who’ve been through a lot of different situations.”

Having been in the league more than a decade and coming in with Paul and Bass, Felton said after signing with the Clippers he knew this would be a comfortable fit.

“I know most of these guys,” Felton said. “I know CP, I know Jamal (Crawford) – I played with him in Portland. Just understanding and knowing I’m going to be in a comfortable situation, and then on top of that, this is L.A., what can you complain about?”

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Chris Paul Excited About Free Agent Additions

Robyn Dixon

LOS ANGELES – Alan Anderson’s determined to get past a frustrating 2015-16 season, and he’ll get to do it in a new environment with the Clippers.

The wing officially signed with the Clippers early this week, finally feeling healthy again after injuries impacted his production last year with Washington in a way they never had before.

From going undrafted, to getting a taste of the NBA before bouncing around the D-League and Europe, to eventually becoming a mainstay back in the league in 2012, Anderson’s gone through plenty and witnessed just about everything a player can in the league.

Then came last year with the Wizards, when ankle and hamstring issues limited Anderson to 13 games. 

“Last season was real tough, because I’d never been hurt like that before,” Anderson said. “I’ve always played at least 50-plus games, so it was difficult for me. But you go through everything, you go through things to get through things. It was tough, but I’m just happy to be through it, be done with it, move on from it, learn from it.”

And he’ll get to do all of that now with the Clippers, signing with the team who was after him from the start.

Anderson said he knew the Clippers were interested in once free agency began, but there was plenty of unknown at the time regarding the cap situation. He knew, regardless which players returned to the Clippers and which newcomers agreed to deals, they wouldn’t be able to afford much.  

“I really wasn’t thinking about a minimum deal at the time,” Anderson said.

But Anderson said teams worried about his health, though he insists that’s no longer a problem after injuries limited him to five points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in 13 games last season. Following ankle surgery, Anderson didn’t play his first game with the Wizards until Feb. 24.

The 6-6 wing, who holds career averages of 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, is trying to get past that trying season in Washington, where he was brought in as the veteran wing to help replace Paul Pierce. Now, he’ll be joining Pierce’s team in Los Angeles, hoping to bounce back with plenty of talent around him to help.

“I turned down a lot of offers because they weren’t the best fit for me,” Anderson said. “The Clippers were actually the strongest team from Day 1, even though they didn’t have what I thought I was worth. They were the most loyal – the most consistent – and I just feel more comfortable with these guys.”

Anderson knows Chris Paul, Ray Felton, DeAndre Jordan and Jamal Crawford from years playing against them. He even played against J.J. Redick in his younger days, including college when he was a Michigan State Spartan facing off against Redick’s Duke Blue Devils.

In total, Anderson says he knows about half the Clippers’ roster well, and he likes what he sees.

“I see something special,” Anderson said, “and just want to be a part of it.”

He knows the looks that could come his way, with the attention Paul, Redick and Blake Griffin will get. He said he can help stretch the floor, handle the ball and defend, adding another dimension on the wing.

While he hasn’t talked specifics regarding his role yet with Clippers’ personnel, he knows opportunity will be there.

“And I’m going to make the most of it,” Anderson said. 

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Alan Anderson Signs With Clippers, Sees “Something Special”

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Photos: Alan Anderson's Career

The L.A. Clippers announced today that the team has signed guard Alan Anderson.

Anderson, 33, spent last season with the Washington Wizards, where he averaged 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 13 games. The seven-year NBA veteran holds career averages of 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 300 games (66 starts) with the Charlotte Bobcats, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and Wizards.

The Minneapolis native has spent time playing in the NBA Development League, Europe and China during his career. Anderson holds D-League career averages of 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 44 games (24 starts) with the Tulsa 66ers, New Mexico Thunderbirds and Canton Charge. In 2009-10, he captured the Euroleague Championship with Regal FC Barcelona and the following season, he was voted MVP of the Spanish Cup.

The Michigan State graduate boasted averages of 9.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists over his four-year career where he helped lead the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament Final Four in 2005.

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LA Clippers Sign Alan Anderson

LOS ANGELES – Clippers rookie Brice Johnson arrived at the University of North Carolina in 2012, exactly a decade after Raymond Felton.

Now, the two Tar Heel products are now set to become teammates for the first time, after Felton watched Johnson’s career at North Carolina unfold in a different fashion than his own.

Felton burst onto the scene with 12.9 points and 6.7 assists per game his freshman year, only playing three college seasons before becoming the fifth overall pick in 2005. For Johnson, the road to becoming a first-round pick took more development.

Johnson averaged 5.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game his freshman year with the Tar Heels, but he continued to grow and increase his contributions every season. By his senior year, Johnson served as the star player of a North Carolina team that nearly took home a title, averaging 17 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and becoming the 25th overall pick of the Clippers this year.

“I used to get on him back in the day about playing hard,” Felton said. “He did that (last season), that’s why he put himself in a great situation to get drafted. My biggest thing with him is to play hard and bring it, and I’m going to demand it out of him, for sure.”

Throughout his college career, Johnson said North Carolina head coach Roy Williams stayed in his ear, constantly pushing him to take his game to another level.

Evidently, Felton was doing the same, and Felton said that’s not going to change now that the two North Carolina stars, who played a decade apart, will become teammates.

Felton added Monday after officially signing his contract with the Clippers that he wants to be a leader. Considering Johnson already knows Felton, the rookie will likely hear plenty from the 32-year-old veteran throughout the year.

“I like young fella,” Felton said. “I’m going to be on him, though.” 

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UNC Vet Felton Plans To Stay On UNC Rookie Johnson

Marcus Fong

The LA Clippers announced today that the team has signed guard Raymond Felton.

Felton, 32, joins the Clippers after spending the last season with the Dallas Mavericks, where he averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 80 games (31 starts). The South Carolina native appeared in five playoff games (four starts) for the Mavericks last season, averaging 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

The 11-year NBA veteran holds career averages of 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 776 games (646 starts) with the Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Mavericks.  He was named NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2006.

Felton was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats with the 5th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft from the University of North Carolina, where he became the first player in Tar Heels history to total 1,000 points, 600 assists, 300 rebounds, 150 steals and 100 3-pointers. In three years at UNC, Felton averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists.

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LA Clippers Sign Raymond Felton

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Raymond Felton's message to Clipper Nation - 7/25/16

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LOS ANGELES – Building relationships across the NBA becomes inevitable after 11 years in the league.

That’s part of why Raymond Felton, who officially signed Monday morning with the Clippers, already knows he’ll feel comfortable in his new surroundings.

“I’m excited to be here,” Felton said. “It’s been a lot of years of battling in the STAPLES Center versus the Clippers and listening to the fans here. Just excited to be on the right side of it. This is probably one of the most exciting teams in the NBA right now, so like I said, I’m happy to be a part of it, happy to be a part of the fan base here.”

Felton’s played for five different teams in his career, including three seasons with the Knicks, two of which were under the helm of Clippers assistant coach Mike Woodson, who was the head coach in New York at the time.

“He’s funny,” Felton said. “He’s going to say what he wants to say, but at the same time, he’s going to go to bat for you. He’s a great guy, a great father figure. I think all these coaches (with the Clippers) are, so just to be here and be around him again and be a part of Clipper Nation is going to be exciting.”

While he’s more familiar with Woodson than the rest of the coaching staff, Felton said he has relationships with head coach Doc Rivers, assistant coach Sam Cassell and executive vice president Lawrence Frank.

On the players’ side, it’ll be a reunion with Jamal Crawford, as the two played together during the 2011-12 season in Portland. While Felton hasn’t played with many of the Clippers, years of competing against them has helped him build friendships on the team – even with college rival J.J. Redick.

Felton arrived at North Carolina in 2002, the same year Redick went to Duke, but Felton’s put that major college rivalry in the rear view.

“It’s going to be funny,” Felton said. “It’ll be just like playing with him in All-Star Games. We played in the same McDonald’s game together…so it’s going to be fun. Me and J.J., we kind of laugh about those things.”

Beyond the level of familiarity Felton has with the Clippers, he also feels their pick-and-roll system fits him perfectly. And knowing how close the team is to realizing its goals, Felton thought the fit made sense for him this summer.

“I just know when I come in, I’m going to be comfortable,” Felton said. “Just understanding and knowing I’m going to be in a comfortable situation, and then on top of that, this is L.A., what can you complain about?”

This will mark the sixth different stop for Felton, who spent the first five seasons of his career in Charlotte before going to New York, Denver, Portland, back to New York and most recently to Dallas, where he spent the last two seasons.

Felton averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last year, playing in 80 regular season matchups before thriving in the playoffs, starting in four of five games and averaging 15 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

The veteran guard said as the years go by, winning becomes more and more important to a player. He wants that taste of the postseason back, he knows he can get it in his move to the Clippers and he wants to play his part in getting there.