Nuggets amnesty Chris Andersen at deadline; Clippers let Ryan Gomes go – NBA News
The Denver Nuggets have decided to use their amnesty clause on Chris “the birdman’ Andersen. The Denver Post has reported that the Nuggets filed the papers to amnesty Anderson around 30 minutes before the amnesty deadline.
The Los Angeles Clippers have also amnestied Ryan Gomes in an attempt to create some cap space to make some further signings.
By using their amnesty clause on Anderson, the Nuggets have freed up $9.3 million in cap space, with which they are looking to sign Anthony Randolph. Randolph is a free agent who played for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.
The Wolves did not re-sign him, and he is now looking for a new home. The Nuggets met with him on Tuesday in Las Vegas, where the summer league is currently in progress.
The Clippers also freed up $4 million by amnestying Gomes and used that money to sign free agent veteran guard Grant Hill. The move will certainly strengthen the Clippers bench as Hill is a fine shooter and perimeter player. Hill
was earlier said to be interested in the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. The Heat signed Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to fulfil their shooting needs.
Both Andersen and Gomes will now enter a 48 hour period in which teams under the salary cap will place bids for their services. The team with the maximum bid will get to sign the players. If no bid is received, the two players
will become restricted free agents and will have the right to sign to any team they want.
Andersen is still a valuable addition to any team as a backup centre. Last season, he averaged 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds while playing only 15.2 minutes per game for the Denver Nuggets. He is a player who brings energy to the
team and can play in small slots to cover for the big men while they rest. Plus, he has a field goal percentage of 54.6% from last season.
Gomes averaged 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 32 games for the Clippers last season, out of which he started in 2. He had a good run with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2007 to 2009, where he averaged more than 12 points in each
of the two seasons. However, his playing minutes and numbers have fallen over the years.
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