If Chris Paul coming to the Clippers was the injection of elite talent this franchise needed to contend, signing Caron Butler to start at small forward was going to push them over the top. Fresh off a title-winning season with the Dallas Mavericks, Butler brought championship pedigree to the league’s most inept franchise.
As DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin grew into their roles, Butler served as a steady veteran in the starting lineup, starting all 157 games he played in for the team. While past the height of his prime, Butler averaged double-digit points in both of his seasons in Los Angeles.
Butler brought the team an edge they needed, filling the enforcer role that would be idealized under Matt Barnes in later years. While never an elite defender during his career, Butler set the tone on defense, often drawing the opponent’s best offensive threat from night to night.
The 16-year veteran was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the three-team trade that brought J.J. Redick to the Clippers, then flipped a month later to the Milwaukee Bucks. The “Lob City” Clippers would not have a player of Butler’s pedigree man the small forward position until Paul Pierce came in the twilight of his career in 2015.