Are the 2020 LA Clippers the best NBA team money can buy?

Paul George – $33,005,556

We start things off with the highest-paid player on the Clippers, 30-year-old swingman Paul George. The first-year Clipper is a six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA player, four-time All-Defensive team member, and makes up one half of the superstar duo who lead the Clippers dynamic roster.

His $33-plus-million price tag means we’ll be evaluating him against any NBA players making between $41.2 and $26.4 million this season.

The full list of players in that salary range:

Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, John Wall, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, Mike Conley, Kyrie Irving, Tobias Harris, Khris Middleton, Paul Millsap, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, Al Horford, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, CJ McCollum, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, D’Angelo Russell, Kristaps Porzingis, Otto Porter, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andre Drummond, Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Hassan Whiteside, Nikola Jokic.

George is a true two-way superstar who can take over on offense and shut down opposing scorers. He can guard multiple positions well and is a leader on and off the floor in addition to being a great player. There aren’t too many players in the league that would be worth swapping him for straight up, but there are a few.

Stephen Curry

Curry is the highest-paid player in the league for a reason. The two-time MVP represents the new pace-and-space NBA and three-point revolution perfectly and has won three NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors. The 32-year-old guard missed most of this season due to injury but should have no trouble picking up where he left off when he returns next season.

James Harden

This one was a very close call, but we slightly leaned toward yes because of Harden’s fit within the new NBA as a shooter, floor-spacer, and scorer. His efficiency and ability to get his own shot whenever he wants puts him just a hair over. But we wouldn’t blame you for saying no.

LeBron James

James is on the shortlist for the Greatest Player of All Time debate and is still somehow playing at the top of his game at age 35. Any team he’s on is automatically a threat to win it all. Even though he’s a few years older than George, we give him a slight edge in the head-to-head comparison.

Kevin Durant

Another player who missed this season due to injury but is a serious contender for the greatest player on earth when he is healthy. We give a slight nod to the 31-year-old six-foot-ten former MVP over PG13.

Kawhi Leonard

Luckily for the Clippers they don’t have to worry about making this decision.

Anthony Davis

The seventh-year forward out of Kentucky is an absolute beast on both ends of the floor and creates matchup problems for any team or player in the world. He’s just entering his prime at age 27 and should continue to dominate the NBA for years to come.

Close calls, but we have to say no:

Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker.