With commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA determined to assign a Developmental League team for all 30 teams in the association, they inched closer towards that goal today.
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Los Angeles Clippers are set to make the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, California their official D-League affiliate:
The LA Clippers are working toward introducing their new NBA Development League franchise as the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Clippers are closing in on an announcement that would establish Agua Caliente Casino Resort — one of the club’s most prominent sponsors at the NBA level — as the title sponsor of the club’s looming D-League affiliate in a unique naming arrangement.
The city of Ontario is located within the proximity of Los Angeles, about 50 miles to be exact, so the move makes sense logistically. This allows the D-League players to be located nearby, making it convenient if the team ever decides to call somebody up.
This should also allow head coach Doc Rivers to keep a close eye on the D-League and add role players as he sees fit. With guards Chris Paul and JJ Redick scheduled to hit free agency this coming summer, the Clips could end up being more desperate than ever to find supporting talent.
Now with Los Angeles naming the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario as their D-League franchise, there are now 26 teams in the NBA who have an affiliate. The NBA’s goal of having a D-League team assigned to every team is beginning to look more and more attainable.
The D-League is undergoing another change next year with Gatorade becoming the title sponsor of the newly-named ‘G-League.’ With the D-League continuing to undergo major expansion changes, expect every NBA team to have an affiliate sooner rather than later.
