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Clippers agree with Jordan Farmar on two-year deal

Clippers forward Matt Barnes, left, tries to steal the ball away from Lakers guard Jordan Farmar during a game in March. Farmar has agreed to a two-year contract with the Clippers.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The deal worked out for both the Clippers and Jordan Farmar.

Farmar got to remain in his hometown after the free-agent point guard agreed in principle to a two-year, $4.2-million deal on Sunday to play for the Clippers.

And the Clippers were able to get a quality point guard in Farmar after losing Chris Paul’s backup, Darren Collison, who agreed to a three-year, $16-million deal with Sacramento on Thursday.

Farmar agreed to take the Clippers’ biannual exception that starts at $2.077 million, with a player option for the second season.

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He spent last season with the Lakers, averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 assists.

“At the end of the day, it wasn’t in the cards for me” with the Lakers, Farmar told The Times. “They didn’t want to make it happen.

“The Clippers were the first people to call.... The situation is great for me. I’m still in L.A., representing Los Angeles and playing in front of my friends and family. I’m looking forward to the future.”

Farmar said Clippers Coach and President Doc Rivers was the “first person I talked to” when the free-agency period opened at 9:01 p.m. Pacific time on June 30.

“I met with him the next morning just to hear him out,” said Farmar, who can’t sign his contract until the NBA lifts its moratorium on Thursday. “They were the first persons and they stayed on me the hardest.”

Farmar shot 41.5% from the field last season in his second stint with the Lakers, 43.8% from three-point range.

He won two championships with the Lakers, in 2009 and ’10.

“I want to be on a contender again with a chance,” Farmar said. “That was when I had the most fun. That was when my value was the highest. That was special to me and we won championships here in L.A. I think the Clippers organization is definitely headed in the right direction with the team that they’ve got. They’re young, fun and they are competing and contending.”

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The 6-foot-2 Farmar, who attended UCLA, missed 41 games last season with injuries that included a torn left hamstring and a strained groin.

“I finished the season healthy,” Farmar said. “I’m excited.”

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