West Notes: Clippers, Paul George, Rockets, Grizzlies

Clippers

Without a doubt, it will be a busy offseason for the Clippers, starting with Paul George, who appears to be headed for free agency and has been involved in multiple rumors. But the Clippers undoubtedly want him back.

“The Clippers are hoping the lure of staying in L.A. is enough to convince George to sign the kind of below-max extension teammate Kawhi Leonard took midseason rather than look elsewhere for a max offer after he declined his player option,” wrote Kevin Pelton of ESPN. “Then they want James Harden to re-sign for a deal like the three-year, $90 million offer proposed by ESPN’s Bobby Marks.”

• One team that hasn’t seriously pursued George? The Knicks. We have the latest on all that right here.

Rockets

The Rockets have dangled the No. 3 overall pick from time to time, but it may be best for them to just hang onto it. It could garner them Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, UConn big man Donovan Clingan, or any other promising prospect.

“Houston fans might be dreaming of a big trade that gets the Rockets back to the playoffs, but for now the prudent move is to see how their March surge translates with the No. 3 pick and a healthy Steven Adams and Tari Eason in the mix,” Pelton wrote.

• As we relayed here, the Rockets reportedly have no desire to trade big man Alperen Sengun to the Pelicans for forward Brandon Ingram, despite talks between the teams.

Grizzlies

The Grizzlies’ priority is really just having some good luck. They had almost none last season, when Adams went down (later traded to Houston) and Ja Morant returned from suspension, only to also get injured.

Overall, Memphis players missed a whopping 561 games due to injury or illness last season — which blew out everyone else in the NBA.

Beyond that, the Grizzlies could use some help in the middle.

“Memphis must next find help at center after dealing the injured Adams to Houston last season, either using the No. 9 pick or a portion of the non-taxpayer midlevel exception,” Pelton wrote. “If UConn’s Donovan Clingan drops on draft night, the Grizzlies should be prepared to move up to add him.”

• Fittingly, the Grizzlies are indeed said to be exploring the market for help up front, with Hawks center Clint Capela on their radar, as we relayed here.