Clippers: 5 point guards to pursue in 2016 NBA free agency
By Tom West
The Los Angeles Clippers may find themselves needing to sign a new point guard in 2016 NBA free agency, so here are five players they should consider pursuing.
The Los Angeles Clippers are stuck in an incredibly difficult situation for 2016 NBA free agency. They have the kind of superstars to pull off blockbuster trades and shake up the league if they choose to, but seeing as Doc Rivers wants his core and it would be unwise to blow up the Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan trio with no guarantee of improving, the Clippers will be left trying to fine-tune the bench in any way they can.
However, that will be far easier said than done.
Last summer, Doc was able to load the Clippers full of added depth and talent with a flurry of cheap signings and minimum contracts. From Luc Mbah a Moute and Cole Aldrich to more high-profile additions such as Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith and Paul Pierce, the Clippers were armed with a far better second unit than they’ve had at their disposal in recent years. Of course, Pierce delivered far less Truth than the team hoped for and the experiment with Stephenson and Smith failed terribly, but they all looked like promising additions at the time for little cost.
This season can’t be the same, though. Unless the Clippers wrongfully decide to trade a star, they won’t be clearing enough cap space to create any kind of significant financial flexibility, leaving them with limited options and the need to re-sign as many of their existing players as possible.
As Doc has said, he believes all his players want to return for another playoff run next season, which is exactly what they need in order to avoid players seeking more money elsewhere. The Clippers’ best case scenario and maximum amount of cap space is only $10.5 million (per Basketball Insiders), good enough for the lowest total in the NBA. So, if they want to re-sign a vital piece like their backup center Aldrich, they may be forced to use their mid level exception on him, meaning they’ll need to look to free agents with limited funds for guards.
If Austin Rivers or Pablo Prigioni leave, that will certainly be the case. So, bearing their possible departures in mind or the chance to upgrade, here’s a look at five point guard targets (and some slightly ambitious ones) that the Clippers should pursue.
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