Signing a superstar
The LA Clippers did well enough to persist this past season, winning 48 games en route to earning a spot in the postseason. But fans understood all season long that, as fun as it was watching Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell carry the load from the bench, the Clippers needed a star to compete with the very best Western Conference teams.
Fortunately, LA’s front office was prepared for that, and has been making moves all year long in preparation to land a star this summer.
With cap room nearly maximized (all it would really take at this point is trading Danilo Gallinari), the Clippers are expected to be one of the biggest players of this year’s free agency period. And with players like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler available on the market, the Clippers could have several options available.
Of course, Leonard has been the Clippers’ go-to target all year long, and that’s not expected to change once free agency begins later this month. Of all the options available, it seems he would be the best fit with LA’s culture, and he’d fulfill the needs of the team at a positional level as well.
His two-way ability is unmatched throughout the NBA, and during his latest postseason run, he helped lead the Toronto Raptors to their first-ever Finals appearance — and victory. Along the way, he posted averages of 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 39.1 minutes per game and made countless stops on the defensive end.
If Leonard chooses to re-sign with the Raptors, Durant and Butler could both still be viable options.
Durant, although expected to miss the entire 2019-2020 season with an achilles injury, is still one of the best players in basketball and should remain so even once he returns from his injury. The seven-footer is a nightmare in isolation, a threat from any range and a very underrated defender. He’ll draw serious interest from numerous other teams, including the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, so the Clippers may not be his first choice if he chooses not to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors.
Butler is arguably the best cultural fit of the bunch, given his aggressive on-court style of play and willingness to win. But in terms of overall talent, he’s a distant third behind both Leonard and Durant.
The Clippers shouldn’t necessarily view this summer as a failure if they don’t manage to sign a superstar, though. Making other moves, like the ones we’ll highlight on the next slide, are equally important and could help keep the team afloat going into next summer.