Exploring for more frontcourt depth, the Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to sign Nikoloz Tskitishvili to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, according to David Pick of ProBasketball.
Tskitishvili is the former fifth overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in 2002. He played four years in the NBA, spending time with the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Phoenix Suns as well.
The 32-year old hasn’t played in the league since the 2005-2006 NBA season. Since then, he has traveled around the world, playing for multiple overseas teams.
His most recent stint was with Champville in Lebanon where the seven-footer averaged 21.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per contest last season.
In 2012, Tskitishvili won a championship in Iran’s Superleague with Mahram before signing with Champville.
In the NBA, Tskitishvili’s best season was during his rookie year, as he averaged 3.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 16.3 minutes per game, dressing up for 81 games and earning 16 starts.
After spending two and a half years with the Nuggets, Tskitishvili was traded to the Warriors in a deal that brought Eduardo Najera to Denver.
After the trade, Tskitishvili’s NBA career began to slowly diminish, as he eventually left the league to play overseas.
However, with impressive numbers in recent years while playing overseas, the Clippers have decided to give Tskitishvili the opportunity to return to the NBA after a nine-year absence. After all, Los Angeles has been searching for a third string big man to solidify their roster, and the Georgian power forward/center could be a suitable option.
The team may still have interest in re-signing Glen Davis, but the eight-year veteran is currently nursing an ankle injury in which he underwent a surgery to repair ligaments in his left ankle and will be sidelined for two to three months.
With that being said, Tskitishvili has a great chance of netting a roster spot since Davis could go unsigned until mid-way through the season.
