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

By 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
PLAYA VISTA, CA – SEPTEMBER 26: L-R; Paul Pierce #34, Austin Rivers #25, DeAndre Jordan #6, J.J. Redick #4, head coach Doc Rivers, Blake Griffin #32, Jamal Crawford #11, Luc Mbah A Moute #12 and Chris Paul #3 LA Clippers (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

2016-2017

Best Move: Final Season of Lob City

The 2016-2017 season was a complete wash for multiple reasons. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were both coming back from serious injuries that kept them out for the remainder of the 2016 Playoffs.

The Clippers made a run at free-agent forward Kevin Durant, pitching him on the idea of a big-four with Paul, Durant, Griffin, and Jordan.

Durant opted not to take a pay-cut with the Clippers and instead joined the division-rival Golden State Warriors, who won 73-games in the season prior before losing in the NBA Finals.

This pretty much signaled that the Warriors would most likely win multiple championships in the next couple of seasons with the addition of KD.

After they struck out on Durant, the Clippers re-signed Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford to 3-year deals, both worth over $30 million.

Owner Steve Ballmer sensed that this season might have been Lob City’s final run together since they had completely underwhelmed in the previous years.

The Clippers would finish with a record of 51-31 (their worst record in the Lob City era) and get eliminated by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the NBA Playoffs that once again saw star-forward Blake Griffin get injured.

Owner Steve Ballmer and guard Chris Paul decided to pull the plug on Lob City after this season, which might have been the hardest but best possible move the team needed to make.

Honorable Mention for Best Move

These three veterans played a vital role for the LA Clippers in their only year with the team. They each filled in for both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin as both stars got hurt throughout the season.

Felton had a similar build to Chris Paul (obviously nowhere near the skill-level), but he was serviceable in the time he took over CP3’s minutes.

Bass was the team’s primary backup forward and Speights was the first center off the bench to sub-in for DeAndre Jordan.

Bass played aggressively, attacking the rim whenever he had the ball in his hands. Mo Buckets was signed after Golden State couldn’t afford him.

Marreese Speights was the perfect stretch-big that Doc had in his time with the Clippers (now probably JaMychal Green). Speights helped stretch the floor and provided toughness that the team needed.

Worst Move: Drafting Brice Johnson

Johnson would wind up being Doc Rivers’s final 1st-Rd draft pick as Senior VP of Basketball Ops for the Clippers. Johnson, selected 25th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, was picked before forward Pascal Siakam and guard Malcolm Brogdon.

Johnson showed his high-flying ability when he was a member of the North Carolina Tar-Heels. What cut Johnson’s rookie year and ultimately his career short was a herniated disk that was in his lower back.

Never seeming to ever recover, Johnson only managed to play garbage-time minutes in 12 games for the Clippers in two seasons.

He would be traded in his second season to the Detroit Pistons and then to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he would later be waived.

Johnson only played 21 games in his NBA career and is now playing overseas.

Honorable Mention for Worst Move

Johnson played well in his first season with the Clippers. The team decided to reward him with a sweet new 3-year/$18 million contract in hopes that he continue knocking down corner three-balls and defending at a high-level.

In the 2016-17 season, Johnson only averaged 2.7 points per game averaging only 11.9 minutes. Johnson would remain with the Clippers for one more season, which saw the worst blooper play happen in his career.

James Harden hit Wesley with a nasty crossover that resulted in him landing on the floor. Not only did Harden drop Johnson but he stared him down for a few seconds before sinking in a three-ball on the left wing.

Johnson was traded before the start of the 2018-19 season to the New Orleans Pelicans, then traded once more to the Washington Wizards. He is currently out of the NBA.