Clippers, guard Lou Williams agree to contract extension

Lou Williams doesn't have to worry about the trade deadline - or free agency.

The Los Angeles Clippers signed Williams to a multiyear contract extension Wednesday, rewarding the NBA's best scorer off the bench with the long-term security he sought.

The deal was completed a day before the NBA's trade deadline, and Williams would have interested contending teams because of his scoring ability and affordable salary.

Instead, the Clippers decided he's been good to move.

"Both on the floor and in the locker room, Lou exhibits many of the characteristics that we value. He is professional, committed and very competitive," Clippers President Lawrence Frank said in a release.

Williams is averaging 23.3 points during the best season of his career and had been mentioned as a trade possibility in the final year of a contract that is paying him $7 million this season. But he wasn't looking to move again after doing it so often in recent years.

He was dealt from the Lakers to the Rockets last February, then sent back to Los Angeles in the summer as part of the deal for Chris Paul.

"I have been on a lot of teams and a lot of times these situations don't always go my way," Williams said. "This one did and I am thankful for that."

Williams was twice named the Western Conference player of the week in January, when he led the league in points scored in the month, including a career-high, 50-point performance in a victory at Golden State.

The 2014-15 Sixth Man of the Year has averaged 13.5 points in his 12-year career.

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