Darren Collison Reportedly Signs 2-Year Deal with LA Clippers

Free-agent point guard Darren Collison has reportedly signed a two-year contract to join the Los Angeles Clippers.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein broke the news on Saturday evening and noted that Collison has a player option for the final year of the deal:

Sam Amick of USA Today provided the financial details, as Collison is scheduled to make $1.9 million in his first—and possibly only—season with the Clippers:

The fact that Collison has a player option in his last year makes sense, because he's stated before that he feels capable of starting for any team in the NBA.

That may seem a bit unrealistic, but it's the type of attitude that great players and champions are made of. Collison did start out the 2012-13 season with the Dallas Mavericks as the starting point guard, but came off the bench in the final 23 contests.

Due to the presence of superstar PG Chris Paul—whom Collison was teammates with for the 2009-10 season during his time with the then-New Orleans Hornets—it will be impossible for Collison to prove his viability as a starter in Los Angeles.

Thus, if the role in LA doesn't quite work out as he anticipates, Collison has the freedom to leave the Clippers after one year and explore his prospects of starting elsewhere.

In the meantime, this isn't a bad compromise for Collison. The 25-year-old still has plenty left in the tank in his promising career and will have a season to learn from Paul, head coach Doc Rivers and play for a likely NBA title contender.

It's even possible that Collison will be a better player for it and utilize his limited role to be more efficient overall. Eric Bledsoe, who was recently traded to the Phoenix Suns, was able to carve out a role as Paul's backup and now has a chance to start with his new squad.

Collison has averaged 12.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his four-year career.