Which of the three?
out of Kyrie KD or Kawhi, who would you choose for the max spots??
— charliebuck (@c_buck00) February 27, 2019
Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, easily. I don’t want any part of Kyrie Irving, the drama he brings nor his baseless non-scientific statements. Besides, we have Shai.
Durant and Kawhi are the ideal pairing as they both give you offense and defense and make the team the instant championship favorite. Durant seems like an absolute long shot at this point, but never say never. Jerry West already impressed him once.
Realistic outcome? We get Kawhi and another guy like Vucevic or Khris Middleton.
Plan B
What's the Clippers Plan B should they strike out on Leonard and/or Durant? What would be the direction of the team if we swing/miss on either or both of those FA's.
— Ara Messerlian (@AraMess310) February 27, 2019
That’s a scary thought. Have you seen the free agent class of 2020? It’s nothing impressive. The biggest names that jump out are Draymond Green and Anthony Davis, who might already have been traded at that point and have a wink-wink deal to re-sign.
So, if the Clips manage to strike out on everyone, are they screwed? Not necessarily.
The team would still be ripe with assets and could position themselves to trade for a disgruntled star should one pop up.
We still have a couple of future first rounders from the Tobias Harris trade, so I would think the team tries to just stick to short deals to reserve at least one max cap spot for the next few seasons. Play a little Hinkie ball. If you aren’t competing, there is no harm in developing young players and seeing what happens. Just look at the Sacramento Kings over the past few years. It’s not the worst place to be.