It’s fair to say that the LA Clippers had one of their most successful seasons in franchise history in 2021; making the Western Conference Finals.
It was very much due to the personnel that they acquired during the previous offseason.
It is going to be of the utmost importance that they’re able to acquire the same if not similar personnel, after hearing that Kawhi Leonard has recently had surgery to fix a partially torn ACL that he injured in the West Semis vs. the Utah Jazz.
There are three very important players who are out of contract next season. Starting with the third-most important and ending with the most important, here are those three guys:
No. 3 most important player for the LA Clippers to re-sign for next season: DeMarcus Cousins
After signing a couple of 10-day contracts during the season, DeMarcus Cousins proved his worth and signed to the end of the season for the LA Clippers. He proved a vital cog as the Clips were without starting center Serge Ibaka for the majority of the playoffs, and he provided crucial minutes in the series vs. the Utah Jazz.
Cousins’ stats won’t blow you away, but his sheer presence on the floor provided the Clippers with that edge that certainly assisted in winning plenty of games. Through his 16 games he averaged 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and one assist on 53.7% shooting.
I would say the Clippers would only offer a veteran minimum contract, so hopefully Cousins enjoyed his time in LA last season and will want to go around again with the squad. After all, there could be some valuable minutes for him throughout next season.