The Golden State Warriors may be mostly about Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, but there are other players who made huge contributions to their success in the past years, including Shaun Livingston. In the Warriors’ five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals that includes winning three NBA championship titles, Livingston has been an integral part of the Warriors’ bench. Unfortunately, after the failed three-peat in the 2018-19 NBA season, the Warriors parted ways with the 33-year-old backup point guard this summer.
After acquiring D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets, the Warriors decided to waive Shaun Livingston’s contract in order to stay below the “hard cap.” More than three weeks have passed since Livingston became an unrestricted free agent, but he is yet to find a new home. However, in an interview with Dave Reynolds of the Peoria Journal Star , Livingston revealed that he’s receiving “some interest” from the Los Angeles Clippers, who he believes is an “ideal fit” to his game.
“That would be awesome, the ideal fit,” Livingston said. “That would be a part of coming full circle. But it has to work on their end. If there’s a spot, an opportunity, that would probably make the most sense. There’s been some interest (on the Clippers’ part). It’s about whether they’re ready to pull the trigger.”
Spent some time today at Shaun Livingston Pride of Peoria basketball camp. pic.twitter.com/LFKyiEVLz0
— David Zalaznik (@DavidZalaznik) July 25, 2019
It’s easy to understand why Shaun Livingston is considering the Clippers as an ideal landing spot this summer. The Clippers were the team that opened his path to the NBA after selecting him as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Also, joining the Clippers would give him a strong chance of winning another NBA championship title before he permanently ends his NBA career.
After years of being one of the mediocre teams in the league, the Clippers have managed to turn themselves into a legitimate title contender with the successful acquisition of reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and All-Star forward Paul George this summer. The Clippers may already have a loaded starting lineup, but they still have things to address in their second unit. Using their final roster spot to sign Shaun Livingston will enable the Clippers to have a reliable backup point guard who has plenty of championship experience.
However, as of now, even Shaun Livingston doesn’t know how interested the Clippers are in adding him their roster. If he fails to find a new team, Livingston is open to the possibility of retiring as an NBA player.
“Rosters are being filled up right now,” Livingston said. “If an opportunity comes up and it makes sense on my end, I’ll jump at that opportunity. If it doesn’t, it’s been a helluva ride.”
