Clippers Make Surprise Point Guard Signing to Shake Up End of Roster

The LA Clippers are reportedly in an active pursuit of Peyton Watson, but it was another Denver Nuggets free agent that they signed on Wednesday. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto was the first to report that the Clippers were agreeing to a two-way deal with point guard Jalen Pickett.

This is a surprise addition for a variety of reasons.

First, the Clippers don't have an open two-way spot. All three of their two-way slots were spoken for after the signing of center Jamarion Sharp. Between Sharp, rookie Nick Martinelli, and second-year guard Sean Pedulla, the Clippers have to make a difficult decision to make room for Pickett.

The Clippers never officially finalized the Sharp signing, so this move could mean that his deal may be off. At the same time, the Clippers desperately need more center depth, so keeping Sharp over Pedulla makes more sense. Especially with Pickett now in the mix, the Clippers don't need another on-ball point guard like Pedulla taking a two-way spot.

This deal is also surprising because the Clippers really didn't need another on-ball shot creator type of player. Darius Garland and Keaton Wagler will take on most of those point guard duties throughout the season. Pickett could contribute when Garland inevitably misses time, but there is not a clear path to playing time for Pickett.

Can Jalen Pickett Revive Career in LA?

He is a good pick-and-roll player, passer, and floor general, but his fit next to Garland, Wagler, and Brandon Ingram is questionable due to his inability to shoot or play off the ball. Pickett hits a high percentage from three, but he is a hesitant, low-volume shooter. He is also undersized and underathletic, creating defensive concerns. On a team that already has several guards who are defensive liabilities, Pickett will be a hard fit.

Yet, it's still surprising that the Clippers were able to sign Pickett to a two-way deal. Entering the offseason, one would have thought that he would have standard contract offers, considering that he started 18 games for the Nuggets last season.

Denver turned down Pickett's $2.4 million team option for next year earlier in the offseason to make him an unrestricted free agent. The Nuggets may have done so to save some money, as they are seriously cash-strapped. However, the fact that they were unwilling to retain Pickett for that price or try to use him as a trade chip suggests there may not have been much of a market for the point guard.

Yet, this is still an understandable flier for the Clippers. Pickett has enough offensive juice to still establish himself as a capable backup point guard in the NBA. Whether he will get the opportunities to showcase what he can do with the Clippers, however, is a different question.

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