Sources: Brandon Bass agrees to Clippers deal
Despite a strong pursuit from the San Antonio Spurs, free agent Brandon Bass reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, league sources told The Vertical.
Bass had been deciding between veteran-minimum offers from the Spurs and Clippers, but the recruitment by Clippers coach Doc Rivers – who coached him in Boston – and several Los Angeles players swayed him. Bass resides in Los Angeles and is expected to be a trusted rotation player for Rivers.
The Clippers will retain one of the best starting lineups in the league and have continued to revamp their bench this offseason, re-signing Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson, and adding Marreese Speights and Bass to the frontcourt.
Bass, 31, is an established and reliable veteran forward with postseason experience. In 11 NBA seasons, he has been a rotation player on contending teams, appearing in the conference finals with Orlando (2010) and Boston (2012).
For contenders, talent has become scarce on the open market, leaving teams to battle over the effective veterans remaining.
Bass has career averages of 8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game with New Orleans, Dallas, Orlando, Boston and the Lakers. He averaged 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Lakers last season.
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