After losing their “Big Three” of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, most people expected the Los Angeles Clippers to take a different route and start a full-scale rebuild. However, the Clippers still decided to remain competitive and contend for the NBA championship title in the 2018-19 NBA season. Despite not having a legitimate NBA superstar on their roster, the Clippers are surprisingly establishing an incredible performance this season and looking much better than the other Los Angeles team who acquired the best basketball player on the planet, LeBron James, in the recent free agency.
As of now, the Clippers are sitting on the top of the deep Western Conference with a 13-6 record. However, not everyone on the Clippers is happy with their current success, especially those players who rarely see the floor this season, including Milos Teodosic. With lack of playing time in Los Angeles, Teodosic expressed his desire to return to Europe during or at the end of the 2018-19 NBA season.
“I think I definitely won’t stay here because… I came, I saw how it looks and somehow… I enjoy more and it’s nicer for me to play in Europe,” Teodosic told Serbian site Glas Amerike , as translated by ClutchPoints .
“So, I will return to Europe for sure, will it be during this season or at the end, we’ll see.”
Not everything is peachy in LA https://t.co/gDMn8jOT4D
— Clipperholics (@ClipperholicsFS) November 23, 2018
It’s easy to understand why Milos Teodosic already wants his way out of the Clippers. Out of the Clippers’ first 19 games this season, the 31-year-old point guard only played nine games and averaged 9.9 minutes per game. Clippers Head Coach Doc Rivers admitted that he heard about the trade rumors surrounding Teodosic and said that they still want him on their team.
“I’ve just heard it too,” Rivers told members of the media. “I doubt if that happens, but we want him to happy too. He’s a great guy, he’s great for this organization. He’s been a great pro here.”
Unfortunately, as much as Coach Doc Rivers want to make Milos Teodosic happy, he can’t assure him more playing time in their upcoming games. Rivers said that he will continue to do what is best for the team. With the presence of Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Avery Bradley, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Clippers’ backcourt, it is highly likely that Teodosic’s role in Los Angeles will remain the same until one of those players suffers an injury.
As of now, Milos Teodosic hasn’t formally informed the Clippers about his intention to leave. Expect more rumors to circulate as the 2018-19 NBA season goes deeper.