LeRon Ellis Signs for $180,000; Clippers Beat Bulls

LeRon Ellis, his search for big-money opportunities in Europe exhausted, ended his holdout from the Clippers and signed a one-year contract Friday for the minimum $180,000.

A forward-center from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana and Syracuse, Ellis was a victim of bad timing in being drafted by a team over the salary cap. That meant the Clippers could offer only the $180,000, about $300,000 less than the going rate for a first-round pick. As a compromise, they put the offer of guaranteed money back on the table, after having pulled it a few days earlier, and added a loan that didn’t count against the cap, believed to be about $100,000.

Ellis is expected to fly to Chicago today and join teammates after an afternoon exhibition game at Peoria, Ill. He will begin as third-string center and power forward.

The Clippers won their exhibition opener Friday night, defeating the Chicago Bulls, 118-109. Charles Smith scored 24 points and Danny Manning added 16 in the victory at Chicago. Michael Jordan, with limited playing time, had 15 points for the Bulls. The Clippers made 68% of their shots in the first quarter, taking a 38-24 lead after a 10-0 run in the final 1:25.

Michael Watkins, Ellis’ agent, said he had conversations with two teams in Spain and one on Italy, but that there had been no contract negotiations.

The advantage to signing with an NBA team is that the Clippers will have an unlimited ceiling on the salary cap if they choose to sign him as a free agent next season.