The Dog Days of the LA Clippers are over thanks to Steve Ballmer

Roster Overhaul

Many thought coming in that Steve Ballmer was just a rich, basketball fan who knew nothing about acquiring premier talent in the NBA.

After the Lob City Era, the Clippers future looked bleak as many assumed they would return back to their old ways.

That wouldn’t be the case as Ballmer preached the new Clippers stigma and identity to be “The Hardcore Clippers”

Here is how Ballmer and his staff have maneuvered their way in acquiring possibly two of the league’s best two-way players and assembling one of the league’s deepest rosters

2017-2018

• With Chris Paul wanting out and on the cusp of the joining the Houston Rockets, the Clippers managed to get a sign-and-trade deal done where as of today they are clear winner’s in this trade
• CP3 has a horrendous contract as his game is slowly declining, while Lou Williams has taken home back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year awards with the Clips
• Pat Bev and Trezz provide the team with spark night in and night out
• Beverley would re-sign on three-year, $40 million package
• Sam Dekker is a free agent and the pick that they got was used in this next trade

• The Clippers would end up sign-and-trading for small forward Danilo Gallinari.
• He would sign for three years, $65 million

• A few weeks before the NBA’s Trade Deadline, the LA Clippers shocked everyone by trading longtime Clipper Blake Griffin
• Fans and Analysts around the league believed this was the start of a long rebuild especially after committing to Griffin for 5 years, $175 million
• That 1st-Rounder would of course turn out to be now sophomore point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

 2018-2019

• The Clippers were fighting for the Western Conference’s 7th and 8th seed when they announced this shocking deal on a midnight
• The Clippers received sharpshooter Landry Shamet and 4-picks for those 3 expiring contracts, Chandler would sign with the Nets this off-season
• Tobias signed a max-deal with Philly this off-season, Mike Scott returned as well, but Boban signed with Dallas

• Fans were happy to see that the Clippers not only got rid of Avery, who recently signed with the Lakers, but also adding two solid vets to the team
• Temple signed with the Nets and Green returned on a 2-year, $10 million deal in hopes on contending for a championship
• Green was vital in the Playoffs for the Clippers, being a stretch-four and playing great defense on Draymond Green and Kevin Durant

• This deal was surprising as the Clippers had just acquired Muscala the previous night before
• Beasley would be waived immediately but Zubac was the prize in this deal
• Muscala would end up signing with the Thunder and Zubac returned to the Clips on a four-year, $28 million deal
• Zubac has shown flashes and has a lot of potential heading into this season

• The Clippers would also re-sign forward Rodney McGruder to a three-year, $15 million deal and trade for Blazers forward Maurice Harkless
• Then, the Kawhi saga finally ended in a deal that stunned the league
• Kawhi Leonard chose to sign a four-year, $142 million deal after the Clippers agreed to trade for OKC star Paul George

The Clippers enter the 2019-20 season with tremendous depth thanks to the work of the front-office.

All the trades listed above were not leaked and shocked many as the Clippers turned their misfortunes of the ending of Lob City into a re-birth of the new mantra, “Clamp City”.

Without Steve Ballmer, none of this is possible.