The young guard has spent the last two seasons on a two-way contract with the Clippers. But the team did not extend a QO to him.
The Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly deciding against extending a qualifying offer to Jay Scrubb according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. The team had until June 29 to make a decision about whether or not to exercise their right to do so. Scrubb, 21, is entering a critical part of his development as he is set to begin his third year in the NBA.
So far, the Clippers have extended a qualifying offer to Amir Coffey, making him a restricted free agent (confirming @KeithSmithNBA‘s earlier reporting).
No qualifying offer will be tendered to Jay Scrubb, per source. Scrubb is still expected to play for Clips in summer league.
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) June 29, 2022
Scrubb’s qualifying offer, had the team picked it up, was set to be $1.8 million according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
During his two seasons so far in the league, Scrubb has averaged 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 39% from the field. Unfortunately for Scrubb, the youngster has played in only 22 games over that time due to recurring foot issues.
In February, Scrubb had to undergo season-ending surgery due to a turf toe injury he had suffered. The surgery repaired the plantar plate in his right foot. In 2020, the Clippers drafted Scrubb with the 55th overall pick after a draft night trade. Shortly thereafter, Scrubb underwent surgery to insert a screw in his right foot and missed all but the final four games of that season.
The 21-year-old was reportedly adamant that he didn’t want to be on a two-way contract yet again. Per NBA guidelines, players can spend up to three consecutive years on a two-way contract with one team before said team has to make a decision about whether or not to convert the player to a guaranteed contract. It’s a similar situation as to what transpired with Amir Coffey this past season.
However, The Athletic’s Law Murray recently reported that Scrubb is not interested in returning on a two-way deal (emphasis mine):
A source tells The Athletic that Scrubb, who is recovered from foot surgery, is not interested in returning on a two-way contract for a third season and wants to compete for a standard roster spot. But the Clippers prefer to have Scrubb, a shooting guard, back on the Coffey plan. Coffey signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Clippers in 2019 after going undrafted in 2019; Coffey returned to the Clippers on another two-way contract just before training camp last fall and wound up getting promoted to the standard roster in March.
We’ll have to see how Scrubb’s contract status plays out over the offseason and whether or not he inks yet another two-way deal or actually fights to earn a standard contract. Per Greif, Scrubb is “expected” to be a part of the Clippers’ Summer League roster.
Perhaps the biggest impact Scrubb has made during his two years came in the Clippers’ historic comeback against the Washington Wizards in January. Scrubb played 17 minutes, putting up eight points, four rebounds, one assist and looking very good on the defensive end as the Clippers erased a 35-point deficit and won. Scrubb played the entire fourth quarter that night.
Scrubb enters his third year in the league still possessing considerable upside. If the injury bug could ever stop biting him, there’s a chance he could be a contributing piece on a quality team.