Patty Mills, who won an NBA title with Kawhi Leonard, reunites with him on Clippers

[ad_1]

Patty Mills and Kawhi Leonard played six seasons together in San Antonio, winning an NBA title in 2014. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

They were teammates for seven seasons and won an NBA championship together in 2014. Now Patty Mills and Kawhi Leonard are together with the Clippers.

Mills arrived here Saturday via trade from the Utah Jazz along with forward Drew Eubanks in exchange for Mo Bamba, P.J. Tucker, a 2030 second-round draft pick and cash considerations.

Like he did when he and Leonard were members of the San Antonio Spurs’ championship team, Mills said he comes with a “purpose” of fulfilling whatever role is required of him by the Clippers and to do his part to help them win their first title.

The 36-year-old guard feels fortunate to be playing with Leonard in that quest.

“Yeah, a couple of young bucks back in the day, winning an NBA championship, and obviously being able to witness his growth firsthand was really cool,” Mills said Tuesday at the Clippers’ shootaround ahead of their game against the Lakers at the Intuit Dome.

“Yeah, it was something that you achieved in your life that kind of bonds you together and you have that forever. So, very grateful for my time spent with him. Close bond with him in San Antonio and obviously close since then. So, to be able to reunite, I guess, a decade later on a quest for the same sort of thing is very exciting.”

Read more: Clippers, minus Norman Powell, close trip with loss to Toronto

Mills and Eubanks joined a Clippers team that entered Tuesday sixth in the competitive Western Conference. That’s far from the Jazz team that has the second-worse record in the NBA and is in line for a high lottery pick.

With the Clippers in need of a big man to allow center Ivica Zubac to get some rest, the 6-foot-10 Eubanks hopes to fill that void. He averaged 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds with the Jazz this season.

“Athletic, get out and run the floor, be a lob threat, protect the rim,” Eubanks said about what he expects his role to be. “Get guys like James [Harden] and Kawhi and Norm [Powell], those guys open for threes or get going downhill. Finish around…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/patty-mills-won-nba-title-223848456.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2025-02-04 22:38:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.