After a stint in the Pacific Northwest, free agent big man Harry Giles will be returning to California for the 2021-22 season, albeit for a new team. Giles will ink a non-guaranteed contract with the Clippers, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Giles was selected with the No. 20 pick out of Duke in 2017 by Portland before being flipped to the Kings on the night of the draft. He subsequently missed the entire 2017/18 NBA season with knee issues. During his first two healthy NBA seasons, he showed promise in a limited bench role for lottery-bound Sacramento squads.
Last year, Giles signed a one-year minimum deal with his first playoff club, the Trail Blazers, in a similar reserve slot. In 38 games during the 2021-22 season, Giles averaged 2.8 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 9.2 MPG. Giles will join a Clippers club hoping to remain in the playoff hunt, despite All-NBA small forward Kawhi Leonard at least missing a significant portion of the season with a partial ACL tear.
Giles will play behind veteran big men Ivica Zubac and Serge Ibaka at the center position.
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