Meeting Clarifies Plans for Jaric

A meeting with General Manager Elgin Baylor and Coach Mike Dunleavy late Friday afternoon gave Marko Jaric a better understanding of how the Clippers might use him next season, the player’s agent said Saturday.

But when asked whether Jaric now seemed more inclined to stay with the Clippers after the hourlong meeting, Bill Duffy said, “I don’t want to say that.”

Jaric has said through Duffy that he would like to move on. But the Clippers said last week that, whether he likes it or not, they expect Jaric to be playing for them next season. The 6-foot-7 guard is a restricted free agent, meaning that the Clippers own the right to match any offer made to him by another NBA team.

The Clippers have said they plan to keep Jaric but have not made an offer beyond the $4.2-million qualifying bid they made in June to retain his rights.

But that could soon change, Duffy said they indicated Friday.

“They said, ‘Give us a couple days to compose some numbers and we’ll go from there,’ ” the agent said of the Clippers, whose interest in retaining Jaric increased after they lost free agent Bobby Simmons to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Of the meeting, Duffy said, “Basically, Marko wanted to really ask them what was their plan, how he fit in. That was pretty much the nature of it.”

The Clippers did not return phone calls.

Jaric, primarily the Clippers’ starting point guard when he wasn’t injured the last two seasons, is penciled in as a backup behind Shaun Livingston and Cuttino Mobley next season. But Dunleavy has said he wouldn’t use him any less than he did last season, when Jaric averaged more than 33 minutes a game.

Duffy, noting Jaric’s desire to be a starting point guard, said in an interview last week that a sign-and-trade deal “would be best for all parties,” but trades were not discussed in Friday’s meeting, the agent said.