Clippers, Grizzlies trying to add Omri Casspi to roster before playoffs

The Los Angeles Clippers (40-27) and the Memphis Grizzlies (26-41) have reportedly targeted free agent forward Omri Casspi ahead of the forthcoming playoffs. Casspi, who was moved by the Sacramento Kings as part of the DeMarcus Cousins trade, was waived by the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 25 after he broke his thumb in his debut game with the team.

According to ESPN's Mark Stein, Casspi has been cleared to resume basketball-related activities and will be a target for playoff teams in the coming weeks. Stein also noted that the Pelicans thought the Israeli forward would miss the remainder of the regular season when it waived him to open up a roster spot.

After Casspli was cleared to return to the court, Stein tweeted on Tuesday: "Sources say Casspi is now evaluating his options and has drawn interest from multiple playoff teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies and LA Clippers."

Casspi, a sweet-shooting forward from Israel, appeared in just 22 games this season before the Kings traded him to New Orleans. Since entering the league in 2009-10, Casspi has been bounced around the league but coaches believe he can be a useful weapon coming off the bench due to his ability to knock down threes at a consistent clip.

Omri Casspi could be a key shooter for playoff-bound team

When the Pelicans waived Casspi, coach Alvin Gentry called it an unfortunate situation. "I think he understands. We talked about it. It's just kind of an unfortunate situation because I felt like he was going to be a guy that could help us -- the shooting aspect, the size and everything. These kinds of things happen. At this stage, it was really just important for us to have that roster spot," Gentry said, via ESPN.

Since both the Clippers and Grizzlies are over the salary cap, they will have to convince Casspi to sign a veteran minimum contract. Also, both teams already have 15 players on their respective rostrs, meaning someone would have to be waived or cut to clear a spot for Casspl. According to ESPN, "the Grizzlies might be the most aggressive pursuing Casspi after likely losing Chandler Parsons (knee) for the rest of the season."

Omri Casspi is averaging 6.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in his eighth year in the NBA. He shot an impressive 40 percent from the three-point line during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 NBA seasons before enduring a slump with the Sacramento Kings this season. Casspi is eligible to re-sign with the Pelicans but would likely pass since the New Orleans is pretty much ruled out of contention for the 2017 NBA Playoffs.