The Los Angeles Clippers are on the verge of signing Chris Douglas-Roberts, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. The free agent swingman brings 3-point shooting and solid defense and helps Los Angeles' depth.
If the Comeback Player of the Year award was still a thing, Douglas-Roberts would have been on the short list last year. He spent 2011-12 in Italy before being invited to Lakers training camp. Cut just before the start of the 2012-13 season, he spent most of that year in the D-League aside from a short stint with the Dallas Mavericks.
Douglas-Roberts then played summer league for the Lakers, latched on with the Knicks in the preseason, went back to the D-League and was called up by Charlotte in December. He became an important part of the then-Bobcats bench, shooting a career-high 39 percent on 3-pointers and averaging 6.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 20.7 minutes per game.
For the Clippers, Douglas-Roberts will strengthen an already-solid wing rotation that includes J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford. This move means that rookie C.J. Wilcox and sophomore Reggie Bullock likely won't see many minutes unless Los Angeles is dealing with numerous injuries.
The Clippers have 13 players on the roster including Douglas-Roberts and Hedo Turkoglu, who is expected to officially re-sign soon. They still have a glaring need for defensive help on the inside, and they've been linked to free agent Ekpe Udoh.
