The free agent market doesn’t look like a good way for the LA Clippers to address the point guard position.
Rumors have it that the LA Clippers are looking to upgrade the point guard position. The team has both Patrick Beverley and Terance Mann on their roster but feel they need an additional playmaker.
There are a couple of ways the team can go about addressing this.
First, they can explore the trade market. There are several teams that they could look towards, with the New Orleans Pelicans being one of the preferred partners thanks to Jrue Holiday. There’s no guarantee they even want to move him though and the Clippers aren’t exactly flush with trade assets anyway.
It’s the harsh reality of the situation the Clippers find themselves in. They gave up everything they had to bring in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. You do that ten times out of ten. However, now that they fell short, the lack of wiggle room on the roster is tough.
That leaves them with the free agency market to try and improve the position. There are a couple of catches though. The team is going to be over the salary cap to start free agency. Even if they had a little space, there aren’t that many options.
Don’t believe me? Below are some notable free agents at the point guard position this offseason. You can view a full list here.
- Fred VanVleet
- Jeff Teague
- Goran Dragic
- Rajon Rondo
- Shabazz Napier
- D.J. Augustin
- Reggie Jackson
- Jose Barea
- Kris Dunn
- Matthew Dellavedova
Outside of VanVleet and maybe Dragic, no one really jumps out on that list, do they? The aforementioned two are probably going to get solid paydays from whatever club they join, making them a non-factor for the Clippers.
So is anyone on this list really moving the needle? Probably not. Rondo probably doesn’t leave the Lakers, especially if they win a championship. Napier could be an okay addition but probably isn’t good enough to replace Pat Bev. The same goes for the likes of Dunn and Dellavedova.
Maybe the Clippers find a guy on the free agency market that can help them. Even if they end up keeping Beverley as the starter, the team could still upgrade the backup point guard position with one of these guys. No, they may not be able to address the hole in the way that they want but at least it would be an incrimental improvement.