Looking Out For: Tony Snell?

[Wammy Giveaway]

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Okay, so there's no real news on whether the Clippers have interest in Tony Snell. You might be saying to me, "You just newsfaked us," but here me out.

1. Local guy. Snell was born in Los Angeles. Clippers already have six players who are L.A. natives (Leonard, George, Harden, Westbrook, Miller and Powell), so adding Snell feels like a no-brainer.

2. Clippers go after high character players. Snell has had a polarizing career: efficient on one game, invisible the next; he even recorded a stat line of zeros in all five categories in 2017 (played with Bucks, result was a loss to Jazz). But he is an okay role player from what I've seen of his play. He's also never been ejected from a game (Clippers are one of ten teams without one as of this writing), making him a good fit with one who excels in composure management.

3. Bigger than basketball. So Snell is a rollercoaster stats guy who has the qualities of a Good Samaritan Spur. He may not be great, good or decent (again, the zero stats game), but he plays for a bigger purpose: his family. Snell needs to be with a team by Friday to complete his 10 years of service and qualify for a retiree benefits program. Back to the high character quality, Clippers have prioritized the off-the-court material over his talent, skills and X-factor potential (ie. if he has a winning record vs. Wolves, Thunder, and Nuggets, the top three teams in the west right now); how he interacts with the team in the locker room and team morale. Given how the Clippers are a very emotional team that lets their losses get to them hard, they don't want to bring in any knuckleheads, malcontents or troublemakers who could jeopardize their nice-guy image. This is a franchise that just put out a request for jerseys from all high schools in California (Artesia, stand up!), who gives back to the community. They are the Good Samaritan Spurs 2.0.

And there may be a reason why Snell could make it. Rumor has it the Clippers, in their attempt to ship out P.J. Tucker, may be forced to include Bones Hyland as compensation for the lack of valuable draft picks.

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I want more intel on Snell. Is he a good player? Can he actually help the Clippers?

[donemilio21]

I use "Tony Snell" as a reference to non-contribution

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[KL2]

He’s a good guy. Solid 3 and D player. I hate that he gets the 0 rap all the time.

He’s also a friend of Leonard’s since high school. Not sure there’s room for him here at this time.

[donemilio21]

He’s a good guy. Solid 3 and D player. I hate that he gets the 0 rap all the time.

He’s also a friend of Leonard’s since high school. Not sure there’s room for him here at this time.

I don't really think we have room our roster for him.

also I hope he finds the care he needs for his and his family.
That being said; his contracts over 9 years were valued at $52M. If you take taxes and agent fees, and living expenses, he should have had nearly $20M of disposable income over 9 years. That's more than enough to create generational wealth for his great grandchildren. Something NBAPA should look into addressing IMO, because financial struggles of many other retired players after making tens of millions has been documented in the media in the past.

[Clemenza]

I hope he gets a deal somewhere but there's no minutes or a need for him here

[clipperlover]

If there is one guy that we should be looking at before the dealine, it is Nic Claxton. Just read that he is available for trade. Only a $9M salary and an expiring deal. Plumlee and Theis not under contract after this year, so a 2nd big long term is needed.

Send P.J., Bones and whatever else you need. The Nets have several trade exceptions available for use.

[LamarWho]

There are plenty of people out there making average citizen salaries, who desperately need help on their medical bills for themselves and their family. It's a joke that the media is making him look like the victim of the century.

[Dynamix]

There are plenty of people out there making average citizen salaries, who desperately need help on their medical bills for themselves and their family. It's a joke that the media is making him look like the victim of the century.

Especially with his trophy wife constantly showing off luxury shopping binges/trips on social media. Spends more in a day on purses than others make in multiple months.

Now where did I put that small violin?

edit> Seriously, this is just shameful.

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[TrueLAfan]

Actually, this is a good reminder/lesson for younger players. donemil1021 has it about right. Tony Snell is not some journeyman who played for the league minimum. He's made over $53 million in contract money in his career.

Things don't add up here. Even if taxes and agents took 75% of his salary, we're talking about a guy who banked over $15 million. If you can't live a comfortable life off of that, you've done something wrong. I absolutely hope he gets insurance and treatment for himself and his kids ... but it seems like a lot of that coin (like A LOT of that) went to his wife:

https://www.vh1.com/shows/basketball-wives-orlando#:~:text=Married%20to%20NBA%20Baller%20Tony,Ashley%20Snell%20enters%20a%20room

as opposed to, say, forking over $20K a year, which is what a platinum insurance plan for two kids with maxed OOP would cost ... and that would cover therapy and IEP and pretty much everything else.

[NickP]

Now if only had Tony made millions of dollars in the NBA then he could have afforded to buy insurance for hiss family.
Poor Tony.