NBA free agency: Raymond Felton reaches deal with Clippers

In the latest NBA free agency news, guard Raymond Felton has reached a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, bringing him to his newest team.

Guard Raymond Felton has reportedly reached a deal to play for the Los Angeles Clippers, making it the seventh team of his career thus far. Felton most recently played for the Dallas Mavericks since 2014 and will now serve as a backup to All-Star guard Chris Paul in L.A.

The Clippers were a team with high expectations last season, as they finished right up near the top of the Western Conference along with juggernauts Golden State, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. However, they would lose Chris Paul due to suffering a broken bone in his hand during the playoffs, ending their chances at a potential run to the NBA Finals. Having a few backup guards such as Raymond Felton in place can’t hurt as they prepare for success in their next campaign.

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Felton first got into the league as a member of the former Charlotte Bobcats back in 2005, as the No. 5 pick out of North Carolina. He played there up until 2010 before moving to the Knicks for a season, followed by brief stops in Denver and Portland before returning to New York for two more seasons. In 2014, he joined his most recent squad, the Dallas Mavericks, and averaged 9.5 points, six assists and 3.2 rebounds per game on an average of 27.4 minutes per contest.

One aspect of Felton’s game that may be in serious decline is his three-point shooting, something the Clippers have used as part of their high-scoring tactics. Los Angeles ranked sixth in the league last season with a 36.4 percentage from three-point range.

While Felton shot a career-high 45.9 percent back in 2010-11 season with Denver, he’s gradually declined since then, shooting just 28.2 percent from long distance last season with Dallas. Luckily, L.A. still has shooters like JJ Reddick, Jamal Crawford and Chris Paul around to pick up that slack, with Felton a helpful veteran addition to an already talented roster.

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