Screw You Lakers and Heat, No Billups for You
Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Clippers claimed Chauncey Billups off amnesty waivers, just hours after they backed out of trade talks with the NBA for New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.I was worried that the Heat were going to get Billups, but Stern dropped down the hammer and told Chauncey if he was disruptive, that would be a breach of contract and he could kiss his $14 million dollar contract goodbye. Solid pickup for the Clips. Also worth noting that the signing of Billups allows the Clippers to more freely include Eric Bledsoe in a CP3 package.
Billups, 35, gives the young Clippers another veteran leader. The team also signed forward Caron Butler to a three-year, $24 million contract in free agency.
The New York Knicks had used their amnesty clause on Billups to clear salary-cap room to acquire Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler. Under terms of the league’s amnesty police, any team under the salary cap can put bid on Billups. The bid will offset part of the $14.2 million the Knicks owe Billups in the final year of his contract.
The Clippers can’t trade Billups this season.
Billups had preferred to enter free agency, which would have allowed him to sign with either the Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat. Billups told Yahoo! Sports on Saturday that he wanted the freedom of free agency to choose his team, and warned he could become a disruptive force if a team claimed him in the waiver process.