LA Clippers Mailbag Question #4
Too bad we didn’t go hard for Terry Rozier before the season started. No Clippers fans were interested. Which is odd, considering many want Lonzo. If you are picking a guy to be playing over his head for a paycheck, Lonzo gotta be top of the list. Terry already got paid and he’s been a flame thrower. What are our legit targets? Hill, Bledsoe, Elfrid Payton?
I’ll count myself as one of those who wasn’t terribly interested in Terry Rozier in the offseason but would love Lonzo Ball on the LA Clippers. To me, Lonzo fits the club much better than Terry does, although I’ll admit that Rozier’s played much better for the Hornets than I expected this year.
I love Lonzo as a 3 and D guy who can also be a playmaker for the LA Clippers. I can understand the contract year worries, but last year his shooting from deep was up to 37.5%, and I think that his poor performance in the bubble is tainting the memories of a fairly solid guard throughout the season.
But enough about Lonzo; as much as I would love him as a younger Pat Bev type, I think that his great play is probably putting him out of contention for the LA Clippers to get him. Let’s move on to some legit targets.
The LA Clippers have made it clear that their interest at the deadline and in the buyout market isn’t to make a big splashy move, but to improve around the margins. You mentioned Elfrid Payton, and that’s a fun one. Money-wise, he only makes $4.7 Million, so something like Reggie and Fi works financially.
It’s hard to see Eric Bledsoe happening; his $16.8 Million contract is tough to work with, and his performance in the playoffs doesn’t leave me terribly inspired. George Hill is tough, too, since he’s making $9.2 Million. You’d be looking at Lou+Fi, and I’m not certain that that trade makes us any better.
We’ve been very lightly rumored to be looking at Tomas Satoransky, but the money question pops up again for him at $10 Million. I would love to go after Delon Wright on the Pistons, but the broken record skips again – he’s making $9 Million.
A lot of these dollar amounts get easier if the team decides that Patrick Beverley is available, but there’s been absolutely zero noise to suggest that’s the case. If he does get dealt, the LA Clippers will need to find a way to replace both his contributions and his effect on the team’s energy and morale.
My personal expectation is that nothing happens at the deadline, or at most something that doesn’t change anything significantly. Maybe Fi gets moved to free up some money under the hard cap so the LA Clippers can bring in a guy off the buyout market.
We’ll have another edition of the mailbag answering more of your questions coming soon, so be sure to stay posted at Clipperholics and follow us on social media so you can submit your own questions!