Marreese Speights Reportedly to Sign with Clippers: Contract Details, Reaction
Following a successful three-year spell with the Golden State Warriors, Marreese Speights has found a new home. The 28-year-old free-agent big man reportedly agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated confirmed the news. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reported it's a minimum-salary signing.
Despite rejuvenating his career and winning an NBA title in Oakland, California, Speights looked likely to leave the Warriors.
After signing Kevin Durant, Golden State didn't have a ton of money to throw around this offseason without letting some free agents walk. Immediately after the Warriors lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals, team owner Joe Lacob made it clear big moves could be on the horizon, per ESPN's Marc Stein:
That came to fruition in the form of Durant.
While Speights was a valuable role player for Golden State, he's not irreplaceable.
In terms of his value on the free-agent market, Speights hurt himself this past season. His scoring average per 36 minutes dropped from 23.6 to 22.2, and he shot 43.2 percent from the field, compared to 49.2 percent in 2014-15.
The Warriors were also a better team with Speights on the bench. According to NBA.com, Golden State had a 1.7 net rating per 100 possessions when he was on the court and a 14.1 net rating with him off the court.
It will be interesting to see what Speights can do outside Golden State. He won't have Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson standing on the three-point line to force the defense out of the paint. Speights has, however, expanded his game beyond the restricted area.
Below is Speights' field-goal distribution by distance during his three years with the Warriors, per NBA.com:
| Total FGA | 442 | 646 | 456 |
| FGA less than 5 Feet | 182 (41.2%) | 237 (36.7%) | 144 (31.6%) |
| FGA 5-9 Feet | 55 (12.4%) | 58 (9.0%) | 37 (8.1%) |
| FGA 10-14 Feet | 28 (6.3%) | 44 (6.8%) | 21 (4.6%) |
| FGA 15-19 Feet | 111 (25.1%) | 255 (39.5%) | 151 (33.1%) |
| FGA 20-24 Feet | 44 (10.0%) | 42 (6.5%) | 60 (13.2%) |
| FGA 25-29 Feet | 18 (4.1%) | 4 (0.6%) | 42 (9.2%) |
Speights has improved as a defender, but he continues to be a liability at that end, which is part of the reason he averaged fewer than 10 minutes a game in each of the last three postseasons. His scoring helps to offset his defensive deficiencies, though.
And with spacing such a vital component for NBA teams, the fact that Speights showcased a somewhat consistent three-point shot (38.7 percent) last season bodes well.
It would be an overreaction for the Clippers to look at Speights' run with the Warriors and think he can be a regular NBA starter. A lot of his production in Golden State came against opponents' second units, so there's a major question as to whether he could produce similar numbers when matched up with tougher opposition.
As long as he's used in the right situations, Speights should be a nice piece of the Los Angeles rotation.
Note: Stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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