Report: Clippers point guard Darren Collison to opt out of deal, become free agent

Darren Collison averaged 8.5 points and 2.4 assists in 13 games this postseason. (Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images) Clippers reserve point guard Darren

Darren Collison averaged 8.5 points and 2.4 assists in 13 games this postseason. (Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Clippers reserve point guard Darren Collison will opt out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, a league source told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old signed a two-year, $3.9 million deal with the Clippers last offseason, with a player option for the second year.

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Collison, who turns 27 this summer, averaged 11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 80 games this season as Chris Paul's primary backup. He played 25.9 minutes per game, sometimes featured alongside Paul in the backcourt.

The 6-foot, 175-pound Collison is a southern California native and played collegiately at UCLA. His decision reportedly does not have anything to do with Donald Sterling's racially insensitive comments. In fact, the Clippers are Collison's "preferred team of choice" because of how the incident drew the team closer, according to Haynes, but he'd like to see what he could get on the open market.

Collison has played for four different teams in his five NBA seasons — New Orleans (2009-10), Indiana (2010-12), Dallas (2012-13) and the Clippers.

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