Throughout the regular season and inevitably the playoffs, the LA Clippers did not have their work cut out for them. Executive Lawrence Frank did great orchestrating a solid roster with a two-headed spear of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, but there was never a point when head coach Tyronn Lue could sit back, kick his feet up, and relax, knowing his bench was sufficient.
Glancing at most of the teams with a high win-count, they had multiple threats to launch at opponents. For example, the Cleveland Cavaliers(64 wins) had Ty Jerome, the Boston Celtics(61 wins) had Payton Pritchard, yet, LA's best was Bogdan Bogdanović.
Moreover, the Clippers’ championship aspirations are evidently staying put. As a result, the front office must take every flaw in each of Lue’s lineups this season and turn them into strengths.
The finances are complicated, but Frank can build from thin air. He also has the perfect team to call: the Dallas Mavericks, who may have the ideal talents LA needs in their second unit.
The LA Clippers can knock off two birds with one stone by ringing the Dallas Mavericks’ hotline this summer
During the season, the Dallas Mavericks proved to the world that each player on their roster is available for the right price. Superstar or not, Dallas will likely hear every offer they receive before picking between the greed and red buttons.
Furthermore, the Clippers should discuss P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford in the same deal. These two veterans with experience in the NBA Finals could take over LA’s bench. On the flip side, Lawrence Frank has Norman Powell and other reserve pieces to send to the Mavericks.
Dallas would likely agree because they are not only landing an elite, three-level scorer to support Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, but are also in position to draft Cooper Flagg. It would be illogical to retain Washington, another wing, when they will look to max out Flagg’s rookie potential.
Additionally, due to ACL recovery, Irving will miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 regular season. This leaves Powell, who will prosper, with the secondary scoring responsibilities.
After trading the All-Star snub, Tyronn Lue can either start Washington next to Kawhi Leonard in the forward spots, or mismatch by bumping Bogdan Bogdanović and leaving the Kentucky product next to Gafford in the second unit.
Nonetheless, the Clippers must pursue this conversation as their designated sixth man and backup center issues will depart with Washington and Gafford.