Robert Covington, Clippers agree to two-year, $24M contract extension

The Clippers and forward Robert Covington have reached a two-year, $24M contract extension agreement, agent Andrew Morrison of CAA Basketball told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Covington was headed to unrestricted free agency this summer but opted to stay put.

Under collective bargaining rules, Covington is eligible to re-sign with the Clippers for a maximum of two years before the start of free agency in July. Los Angeles held his Bird rights.

He was acquired along with Norman Powell from the Trail Blazers for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, rookie Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick in early February.

The Clippers were without superstar Kawhi Leonard all season and went a good chunk of the season without their other star, Paul George. Covington could play a key defense role with the high-scoring duo back in the lineup.

In 23 games with the Clippers, Covington averaged 10.4 points per contest on 50% shooting, including 45% on three-point attempts. He had a career-high 43 points on a franchise-record 11 three-pointers against the Bucks on April 1.

Covington said after play-in tournament loss to New Orleans that he was excited about the possibility of re-signing with the Clippers. “The way that we played tonight when we went small, imagine PG and Kawhi in that lineup,” he said. “That’s a lot of versatility … Once them guys come back next year, if I’m here, I’m really looking forward to that.”

Clippers executive Lawrence Frank recently expressed interest in retaining Covington. “RoCo was very, very good for us,” Frank said. “I’m excited to hear that he likes it here. We look forward and we’d like to be able to keep him here.”

Covington, 31, has played for Houston, Philadelphia and Minnesota as well as Portland and the Clippers.