{"id":84326,"date":"2024-07-02T20:51:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T00:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=84326"},"modified":"2024-07-02T20:51:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T00:51:09","slug":"nba-rumors-controversial-forward-linked-to-clippers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/02\/nba-rumors-controversial-forward-linked-to-clippers\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Rumors: Controversial Forward Linked to Clippers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Clippers have continued searching for upgrades to their roster this offseason, as they cope with the loss of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/georgpa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul George<\/a>. The superstar&#8217;s impact will be difficult to replace with a single player, but the franchise has made it clear that they want to stay competitive, which they&#8217;ve done so far. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dunnkr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kris Dunn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bambamo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mo Bamba<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jonesde02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derrick Jones Jr<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=porteke01,porteke02&amp;search=Kevin+Porter&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Porter Jr<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/plumlma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mason Plumlee<\/a> have all been signed, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Harden<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/30\/all-star-james-harden-resigns-with-los-angeles-clippers\/\" target=\"_self\">agreed to re-sign with the team.<\/a> However, the Clippers may soon <a  href=\"https:\/\/hoopshype.com\/2024\/07\/02\/clippers-interested-in-miles-bridges\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sign<\/a> their largest name of the offseason: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bridgmi02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Miles Bridges<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>NBA Rumors: Controversial Forward Linked to Clippers<\/h2>\n<p>Bridges is unquestionably talented. The 26-year-old averaged 21 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 46.2% from the field last season for the Hornets. Now, having turned 26, he&#8217;s entering his basketball prime. Bridges is athletic, a good shooter, and creates so many <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=c8beWTSft8o&amp;pp=ygUYbWlsZXMgYnJpZGdlcyBoaWdobGlnaHRz\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">highlight moments.<\/a> He&#8217;d be the best replacement that the Clippers can realistically find for George (assuming they can&#8217;t miraculously sign <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/derozde01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeMar DeRozan<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>With a talented guard, Bridges has proven that he&#8217;s even more effective. It was playing alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/ballla01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LaMelo Ball<\/a> that first elevated Bridges to stardom. His catching of alley-oops off of pick-and-rolls and hard screens made him a fan favorite in Charlotte. It also helped that the Charlotte announcer <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7UlHKhhnKsA&amp;pp=ygUfaG9ybmV0cyBhbm5vdW5jZXIgbWlsZXMgYnJpZGdlcw%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">seemed to have a heart attack<\/a> every time Bridges dunked on someone.<\/p>\n<p>However, his off-court issues have made him a polarizing player. Bridges sat out the 2022-23 season due to a <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nba\/news\/miles-bridges-domestic-violence-case-timeline-charges-sentencing-suspension-information-for-hornets-forward\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">domestic violence case<\/a> brought against him. The mother of Bridges&#8217; children accused him of assaulting her in front of their children. He also faced three additional smaller charges, which were later dropped.<\/p>\n<h3>Second Chances With Balmer<\/h3>\n<p>Bridges wouldn&#8217;t be the first player that billionaire owner Steve Balmer gives a second chance to. The Clippers signed Kevin Porter Jr this offseason, a talented guard whose reputation took a hit when he was arrested last year for assaulting his girlfriend. Balmer also gave a second chance to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/primojo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joshua Primo<\/a> at the beginning of last season <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/09\/30\/sport\/joshua-primo-suspension-nba-spt-intl\/index.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFollowing%20that%20process%2C%20the%20league,apart%20from%20these%20brief%20exposures.\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(he&#8217;s had his own issues)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While the move hasn&#8217;t officially happened yet, it would be a great fit for both Bridges and the Clippers. If the Clippers do want him on their roster, however, it may take a sign-and-trade for it to happen. Possible trade tokens that have been brought up for Bridges include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/powelno01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Norman Powell<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mannte01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Terance Mann<\/a>. Both players make over $10 million per year, likely similar to what the Clippers would offer Bridges.<\/p>\n<p>If this sign-and-trade does come to fruition, Bridges could revive his career, and the Clippers could get the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/georgpa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-07-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul George<\/a> replacement that they&#8217;re so desperately seeking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Clippers have continued searching for upgrades to their roster this offseason, as they cope with the loss of Paul George. The superstar&#8217;s impact will be difficult to replace with a single player, but the franchise has made it clear that they want to stay competitive, which they&#8217;ve done so far. Kris Dunn, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5154,"featured_media":84334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1608,62],"tags":[1958,1148,1145],"class_list":["post-84326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clippers","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-kevin-porter-jr","tag-miles-bridges","tag-steve-ballmer"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5154"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}