Clippers’ Doc Rivers may change his mind about trading core
By Tom West
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has said that he wants to keep the team’s core of stars together right now, but added “of course that can change”.
Since Blake Griffin punched equipment manger Matias Testi, questions of whether or not the Los Angeles Clippers should trade their All-Star power forward have only intensified. And as Chris Paul and Griffin were eliminated from the 2016 NBA playoffs with injury, ending the Clippers’ title hopes yet again, the “break up the core” narrative was doused in oil and set on fire overnight.
However, as head coach Doc Rivers has persisted that he doesn’t want to break up his star trio, has anything really changed about the Clippers’ fate this summer?
ESPN’s Zach Lowe spoke with Doc at the NBA draft combine, asking plenty of great questions, with the following being the most hotly discussed Clippers topic of the season and the next few months:
"Lowe: You’ve already said after losing to Portland you won’t trade any of the three stars. Are you worried that boxes you into a corner a little bit? Is that really the case?Rivers: I don’t worry about the corner thing, ever. I’m always gonna do what’s good for the team. You don’t ever do anything but that. But I feel like the best thing for the team right now is to keep them together. Can that change? Of course it can change. But I don’t think it will."
It’s important to not overreact too much to what Doc said. First off, he made it clear that he thinks the best move for the Clippers right now is to avoid any changes and simply keep the core together, heading into one final season with Paul and Griffin still under contract. Plus, he finished with “I don’t think it will” when referring to whether that could change as the team’s best option.
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However, admitting that “of course it can change” removes the strength of an adamant statement from a coach saying there’s no way he’s trading his players. Instead, Doc was frank about the issue, which at least sparks the possibility that if he no longer sees the core staying together as the best scenario for the Clippers winning a title, a trade, “of course,” may not be out of the question.
Regardless of when that may be and what he’d want in return, Doc could have easily said there’s no way a trade is taking place if that’s how he felt.
Again, there’s only so much we can take from such comments and until further notice or any serious trade rumors actually emerge this summer, it’s safe to say the Clippers’ star trio will be staying together. After all, Doc only reiterated that to Lowe.
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However, by admitting that his opinion on the matter may change, it looks like the possibility of a trade in the future, whenever that may be, isn’t totally written off.