Seemed fairly clear that Marcin Gortat and the Washington Wizards were ready to part ways. Now they will.
The Wizards traded Gortat
http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/deonte-thompson-jersey , their starting center, to the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Austin Rivers on Tuesday night. Both players are entering the final season of their contracts and are set to earn similar salaries, making a straight-up exchange work under NBA rules.
The 34-year-old Gortat is a durable, screen-setting big man who has played 12 years in the league, the past five with Washington. He averaged 8.4 points and 7.6 rebounds last season, his lowest numbers since 2009-10, when he was with the Orlando Magic, but could fill a need in Los Angeles if DeAndre Jordan departs.
After the Wizards finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost in the first round of the playoffs to No. 1 seed Toronto, Gortat was adamant that he had no interest in changing his style of play at this late stage of his career.
Asked about the possibility of working on his outside shot, Gortat replied: ”This summer, I’m going to work on my tan. I’m going to work on my 6-pack. Get my biceps definition a bit better. You can’t improve 3-point shooting. You can’t improve your shot
http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/margus-hunt-jersey , specifically for me. I truly believe I’m a solid, good shooter up to 15, 17 feet. But I’m not going to shoot 3s. No, I’m not going to do that. I want to go into the paint. Body people. Be physical. Get scratches. Bleed.”
Gortat also discussed the widely held perception that he and All-Star point guard John Wall did not get along.
”We are good. Are we best friends? And, like, the greatest friends? Brothers? Probably not. But I’m not best friends with probably half of the team over there,” Gortat said in April after Washington was eliminated. ”So I have a few good friends, but the rest of them are just my colleagues and teammates. That’s how it is. That’s how it is around the league.”
The Wizards had a bit of a roster problem at center, with Gortat plus a similar, stay-in-the-paint, well-paid backup center Ian Mahinmi.
They also were in need of backup help at guard
http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/markus-wheaton-jersey , which Rivers can provide.
Rivers, who turns 26 in August, averaged a career-best 15.1 points and four assists last season while playing for his father, Doc, the Clippers’ coach.
”He is coming off a career year and his ability to create offense for himself and others will help our second unit and allow us to play a variety of lineups throughout the season,” Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement announcing the trade.
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Aaron Donald is skipping another set of offseason workouts while his contract negotiations with the Los Angeles Rams drag on into their second year.
The All-Pro defensive tackle’s teammates would like to see this standoff resolved before it has any chance to impact their promising season.
”Hey man, pay the man,” cornerback Marcus Peters said. ”You win the MVP? Come on now.”
The NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year was back home in Pittsburgh while the Rams began voluntary organized team activities at their training complex Monday. He also skipped the start of their offseason program in April.
He is missing the first steps in the assembly of a potentially impressive defense. Peters joined the Rams in the offseason along with fellow star cornerback Aqib Talib and defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh – but they haven’t yet teamed up with Donald, who turns 27 on Wednesday.
”Aaron is a vet, man,” Talib said. ”He’s going to take care of his own business. What’s his business is his business.”
Donald is due to make $6.89 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract
Tarell Basham Jersey , and the Rams theoretically could keep him for three additional years under a franchise tag. But he has been one of the NFL’s top defensive linemen since his career began in 2014, and the Rams’ front office has claimed it is eager to sign Donald to a long-term contract.
”It’s kind of where it’s been,” coach Sean McVay said of the Rams’ negotiation with Donald. ”We’re in constant dialogue and communication with his representation. It is something that we want to get resolved. As far as a timetable, don’t really have any dates on that. I don’t expect Aaron to be here until we get a resolution to that.”
These negotiations still appear to be civil and respectful, despite their abnormal length. Donald has expressed little public frustration with the Rams’ reticence to write the check he is seeking, while McVay and general manager Les Snead have scrupulously avoided any public criticism of the tactics that have kept Donald away from his teammates.
”He and I have had good dialogue,” McVay said. ”I spoke with him last week. This feels a lot different than last year. Certainly anytime that you have something where the team comes together, to have a player that’s as important as he is here, you would prefer that. But it is voluntary. We understand that, and we have a lot of respect and understanding for what’s going on.”
Donald also skipped most of last year’s offseason activities in his lengthy quest for a contract befitting his talent and accomplishments. That holdout lasted through training camp and the entire preseason while he attempted to land a new contract likely to make him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.
He missed the Rams’ season opener after reporting to the team one day before the game. Donald still was named the NFL’s top defensive player despite appearing in only 14 games while Los Angeles roared to the NFC West title and the franchise’s first postseason appearance in 13 years.
Donald matched his career high with 11 sacks last year while causing continual havoc to opponents’ offensive lines and running games.
Although Donald clearly doesn’t need the offseason program to thrive, particularly heading into his second season in coordinator Wade Phillips’ scheme
Authentic T.Y. Hilton Jersey , he’s missing out on the chance to bond with his teammates while working out his dynamic with Suh. The duo could be one of the NFL’s most intimidating combinations this fall after Suh chose the Rams from among several suitors for his free-agent services.
The Rams’ new defensive players finished their first day with new respect for McVay’s offense, which took Los Angeles from worst to first in the NFL in scoring last year.
”We got an introduction to that McVay offense, and it’s crazy,” Talib said. ”There’s a bunch of movement, a bunch of speed on it. You’ve got to have your eyes in the right place.”
The Rams’ mandatory minicamp doesn’t begin until June 12, following three weeks of voluntary workouts.
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