The Los Angeles Clippers got a point guard afterall.
But he’s not the 26-year-old superstar point guard that is currently the property of the New Orleans Hornets.
The Clippers decided to pick up Chauncey Billups through waivers, despite threats that he wouldn’t play for a team that picked him up through the waiver process. Billups, 35, was hoping to clear waivers and become a free agent so he could control his own destiny.
After his release from the Knicks this weekend, Billups told Yahoo! Sports that “he could become a disruptive force if a team claimed in the waiver process.”
“After a while, you just kind of get taken advantage of in these situations,” Billups told Yahoo! Sports. “I’ve been known as a leader — and I am a leader — but a leader can be as disruptive as he can be productive, especially when you carry a strong voice and people rally around you. This is about me now. This is about me, and teams should know that right now.”
Billups has a reputation as a good teammate, who rarely puts himself first. But Billups became frustrated after the Knicks used their amnesty clause to clear salary cap space to acquire Tyson Chandler. The Knicks are still responsible to pay part of Billups’ contract.
When the 35-year-old point guard learned that his release was imminent, Billups’ agent told ESPN that he might retire.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Chauncey retired rather than play for a team he wouldn’t want to play for,” his agent told ESPN’s Ian O’Connor. “He doesn’t need the money, his kids are getting to an age where he wants to be an active participant, and he doesn’t need the frustration and instability he’s constantly dealing with. So he may choose not to play.”
But Billups’ agent added that the 35-year-old veteran understands it’s a business and is not angry with the Knicks for letting him go.
