The L.A. Clippers showed the rest of the NBA than in a world of wheelin' and dealin' — sometimes the best deal is no deal.
Having re-signed their high-scoring guard Lou Williams to a three-year extension, the Clippers ended up capturing one of the top trade assets in the market by keeping him in house after having him for only 51 games this season.
While he has been coveted by plenty of team during this trade deadline, Williams chose to remain in La La Land instead of dealing with the hassle of free agency meetings, according to ESPN Insider Bobby Marks.
The man known as Sweet Lou had become somewhat of an NBA journeyman after his first seven seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, most-recently playing for four teams in the last four seasons (Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Clippers)
Through his short time with the Clippers, Williams had begun to feel comfortable for coach Doc Rivers and felt he was in the right fit with this team and the direction they were taking in shaping this team.
In addition to that, Williams had never — I repeat, never — seen a 30-plus minute average in his NBA career, and with a beefy 32.5 minutes per game under Rivers this season, it only made sense to stay put and lock down a long-term deal with the team.
Williams is posting the best numbers of his career with 23.3 points, 5.3 assists, as well as shooting a blistering 90 percent clip from the free-throw line — a line that has put him in serious conversations for an All-Star spot this season.
