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LA Clippers: Best and Worst Transactions of the last 10 years

Nathan Jacobo|
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 19: A view of the court at Staples Center during the game between the LA Clippers and the Houston Rockets on December 19, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 19: A view of the court at Staples Center during the game between the LA Clippers and the Houston Rockets on December 19, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
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LA Clippers
LA Clippers (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

2019-2020

Best Move: Signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George

After winning the 2019 NBA Finals with the Toronto Raptors, forward Kawhi Leonard was set to hit the free-agent market.

Many media outlets counted the Clippers out and favored the LA Lakers and Toronto Raptors as the top options for the “Fun Guy”.

As days passed without no leaks of where he is going, the basketball landscape was changed forever on July 6th when Kawhi agreed to join the LA Clippers.

Minutes after signing Leonard, the Clippers acquired All-Star forward Paul George to form the best duo of two-way players in the league.

The Clippers did have a tough pill to swallow in trading away Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and multiple 1st-Rd picks but it was all worth it for the chase to get the franchise’s 1st NBA Title.

Not only was Leonard orchestrating for another star player to join him but because the LA Lakers waited so long to get a response back from him, they missed out on many free agents.

The plan that Steve Ballmer envisioned when he first bought this team was to build a powerhouse. That plan came into fruition as this was the first time in Clippers history that the top free-agent chose them.

Though we haven’t seen much of Kawhi and PG-13 on the floor together until recently we still won’t know how they’ll perform in their first NBA Playoffs together as teammates due to the suspension of the league.

What we do know is that both players have proved they can handle the big stage and have already made their mark with the Clippers as Kawhi took home the All-Star Game MVP Award and George has hit multiple game-winners for the Clippers.

Let’s hope that this season will resume at some point!

Honorable Mention for Best Move

After the NBA Trade Deadline passed, the Detroit Pistons and Reggie Jackson agreed to a contract buyout that would help him land with a contender.

Jackson chose to sign with the LA Clippers as he wanted to play with his long-time friend Paul George and get the chance to compete for an NBA Title.

Jackson has proved to be a vital member of the Clippers deep bench as now Lou Williams doesn’t have to be the primary ball-handler for the 2nd-unit.

Reggie’s 6’3 frame and his scoring ability have opened up a lot more scoring and spacing for the Clippers. The Clippers now boast the “league’s best bench” with Jackson, Lou Williams, Landry Shamet, JaMychal Green and Montrezl Harrell

Worst Move: Re-signing Rodney McGruder

McGruder was picked up one day before the end of the NBA season as the Clippers knew they were adding a tough-minded wing that they hoped to re-sign in the off-season.

They ended up re-signing him to a 3-yr/$15 million deal and hoped that he would be the team’s primary backup small-forward.

Early in the season, he got hurt which kept him out for the first couple games. After that injury, he never really got a groove going as he hasn’t shot the ball well or defended well at all.

With the addition of Reggie Jackson, McGruder is now fully out of the rotation. If he still doesn’t pan out, the Clippers might just bite the bullet and eat the rest of the $10 million left on his deal.

Honorable Mention for Worst Move

Replacing Moe Harkless for a more polished skill-set that Marcus Morris Sr. has was a solid move even if he isn’t shooting the ball well right now.

Trading a 1st-Rd pick for him is a bit worrisome should he decide to leave this upcoming free agency. The Clippers will have enough money to retain both him and Montrezl Harrell.

It is still an unknown if this was a bad deal for the Clippers since we haven’t seen him play in any Playoff games yet.

10-Year Rewind

This was your 10-year rewind of the best and the worst moves that the LA Clippers have made in the past decade. Those 10 years went by fast but let’s hope that in these next 10 years the Clippers have their own arena built and multiple NBA Championship trophies.

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