LA Clippers: 3 Cons of a Christmas Start to the Season

3) There will be a limited Free Agency/Trade period

While introducing Ty Lue, LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and PBO Lawrence Frank mentioned that they need to be careful and precise in improving the roster with limited assets. This meshes well with Brian Windhorst on his podcast, who said he expects this to be a free agency with a lot of sign and trades, and that he expects the Clippers to be aggressive in that market.

If the season really is going to start in late December, the Clippers don’t have much time, so they’ll need to make their improvements quickly. The NBA draft is currently slated to be in mid November, so free agency could be as short as just a few weeks.

The front office is going to have to be quick about any moves they want to make, and the coaching staff will have to be efficient at integrating any rookies or free agents or trade acquisitions the team makes.

I don’t expect any major trades to get made this offseason, so it won’t be as drastic as trying to integrate another star into the system. But if the team makes a move for another big or a playmaker, it will have to be a quick process to get them into the rotation.

I trust this front office to be able to make the moves they need in time, but it is not going to be easy. They’ll be aided by the fact that nobody really pays attention to when free agency is “supposed” to start, and they will have one or two deals done or nearly done at the instant free agency opens.

Where this is really going to be felt is when it comes to those late signings. Think JaMychal Green re-signing three weeks into free agency, or Patrick Patterson signing a month and a half in. Those signings are going to have to be hurried along this offseason, which could play against the Clippers. They won’t have the time to wait out the market and find deals so easily.

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