/ STAFF WRITER
PLAYA VISTA – The night was winding down but the Clippers were still working the phones.
They loved Branden Dawson’s toughness, his work ethic, his effort on the 50-50 balls. They wanted to make him a Clipper. They wanted to draft him.
They just didn’t have a pick.
But with the NBA draft in the final minutes, the team found a partner willing to sell a late second-round pick for cash, and the Clippers made their move.
After sending approximately $600,000 to New Orleans, the Clippers acquired the rights to Dawson, a four-year player at Michigan State.