Former Clippers center signs with West rival

The Clippers logo shown on the jumbotron at Staples Center November 12, 2018. Photo Credit: Larry Brown/Larry Brown Sports

Another member of last season’s LA Clippers team is headed off for greener pastures.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Monday that veteran big man Daniel Theis has agreed to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency. Theis is getting a one-year deal from New Orleans, Wojnarowski adds.

While Theis, 32, lacks some size at 6-foot-8, he plays hard, contests shots, is very active in the paint, and is also good for the occasional three-ball. With the Clippers last season, the four-time Basketball Bundesliga All-Star Theis averaged 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 17.1 minutes per game.

That said, Theis fell out of the Clippers’ rotation once the team got back to full strength. While Mason Plumlee also left the Clippers this offseason to sign with the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers just brought in seven-footer Mo Bamba as a replacement. For New Orleans’ part, their ex-starting center Jonas Valanciunas left to join the Washington Wizards in free agency, so Theis will get a chance to compete with rookie big man Yves Missi for the starting job down low. The Pelicans might also be eyeing an interesting center option on the trade market.