Executive of the Year: Jerry West
While Jerry West’s role in the front office is only as an adviser, he will always get the majority of the credit. This is due to him being the most recognizable name. The average fan doesn’t know the likes of Michael Winger or Lawrence Frank, but everyone knows The Logo.
West’s history with the Lakers makes it even sweeter for Clippers fans. The Lakers signed LeBron James, the best player of the past 20 years, and they understandably expected him to carry them far into the playoffs, similar to what he had done for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018.
Their hopes started to crumble when James went down with a groin injury on Christmas that left him sidelined over a month. Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram also suffered season-ending injuries, and the Lakers playoffs odds were disappearing. Meanwhile, their roommates were raising eyebrows all across the Association. In a move of desperation that baffled Lakers-great Jerry West, the Lakers offered the Clippers Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley for the recently acquired Mike Muscala. While the sweet-shooting Muscala has struggled to do just that, Zubac has flourished, despite his nagging hand injuries.
Anyone with half a brain would’ve accepted that trade from the Clippers perspective, and Winger or Frank may have been the one to pull the trigger, but the idea of a Lakers legend ripping off his former team for their biggest rival is nothing short of glorious.
While West has only been with the Clippers for two seasons, he gets the nod for Executive of the Year due to how the Clippers have stood tall while his former team, the Lakers, have stumbled.