NBA Rumors: Brandon Bass Leaving Los Angeles Lakers For Los Angeles Clippers

Free agency has slowed down tremendously, but there are still a few NBA veterans looking to find new homes. According to CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Clippers are signing Brandon Bass to a one year contract worth approximately the minimum. The 6-foot-8 power forward leaves behind the Los Angeles Lakers but doesn’t need to move residence.

Brandon Bass could have stuck around with the Los Angeles Lakers. Management wanted him to provide depth behind Larry Nance Jr, Julius Randle and Timofey Mozgov. The veteran experience would have been a nice complement to the trio, especially since Nance Jr. and Randle have barely spent time in the NBA.

The Los Angeles Clippers have a bit more depth in the front court than the Los Angeles Lakers. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan own the power forward and center positions. The Clippers are bringing back Luc Mbah a Moute and just signed Marreese Speights from the Golden State Warriors. A first round draft pick was also spent on Brice Johnson.

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One can surmise that the reason why Brandon Bass chose the Los Angeles Clippers over the Los Angeles Lakers is because he wanted a chance to compete in the NBA Playoffs. With Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors, the Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to decline a bit, so the Clippers should remain a top four team in the Western Conference.

Another possible reason why Brandon Bass chose the Los Angeles Clippers is his familiarity with team president and head coach Doc Rivers. The former played for the latter with the Boston Celtics. Rivers likes that Bass has a good understanding of what he wants on defense.

According to CBS Sports, Brandon Bass chose the Los Angeles Clippers over the San Antonio Spurs, a team that recently lost Tim Duncan to retirement. With Boris Diaw being traded to the Utah Jazz and David West chasing a ring with the Golden State Warriors, the Spurs desperately wanted to add some more depth to their front court.

It says a lot that Brandon Bass turned down the San Antonio Spurs. That is one of the franchises in the NBA that players are always looking to join. Players want to play for Gregg Popovich. Even with the retirement of Tim Duncan, the Spurs should still be able to contend because they have Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, Pau Gasol, and LaMarcus Aldridge.

In terms of minutes, Brandon Bass should be spending the majority of his time at the power forward position. He has a very good chance of taking whatever minutes that are behind Blake Griffin. Bass could be receiving a lot more playing time than he expected if Griffin has not fully healed from a partially torn quad injury that sidelined him last season.

Brandon Bass might even end up being a starter for the Los Angeles Clippers. According to CBS Sports, the Boston Celtics are still pondering a trade for Blake Griffin. They are looking to add another superstar to pair with Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford, who recently left the Atlanta Hawks in free agency.

There is also a slight chance that Brandon Bass receives some backup minutes at center behind DeAndre Jordan. The Los Angeles Clippers recently watched solid backup center Cole Aldrich walk away in free agency to join the Minnesota Timberwolves, his hometown team.

Signing Brandon Bass does not move the Los Angeles Clippers past the Golden State Warriors as the favorites to win the Western Conference. However, he does help the team get through the regular season by having another able body who can step in and provide good minutes.

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