By signing two of the few oldest veterans in basketball, Chris Paul and Brook Lopez, the LA Clippers appear to be living by the idea that their rebuild is a problem for the future. This is not a major concern at the moment, as Lawrence Frank fittingly believes championships have to be won right now.
However, the trend is becoming evident that LA is pursuing veterans because of what they have not been able to do for over half a decade: develop young talent that can grow into a piece of the rotation.
Terance Mann, for a few seasons, had finally beaten the odds, but he was traded due to a fallout in the rotation, which is a norm in LA. The front office thought they had found a way to circumvent their flaw by trading for players who were already thriving at a young age, such as Bones Hyland, but they still failed to propel his career to the next level.
This speaks volumes about the Clippers’ current youth, as Cam Christie and Patrick Baldwin Jr. should continue to maximize their endless motor, but not expect a long-term future in LA, which is the sad reality.
The LA Clippers’ struggles to develop young talent will make their next era bleak
Surprisingly, the LA Clippers have done good work in selecting on day one of the NBA Draft. What they saw in Keon Johnson and Kobe Brown, plus Yanic Konan Niederhauser, is obvious, and the visible qualities possessed would have anyone thinking that all three could have been, or will be, future stars.
Conversely, the facts are right in front of the world, and all fans can do is be optimistic that Niederhauser will be the needle in a haystack. The summer league did not look too good for him, yet it is a popular mistake to judge a pick based on a few games that occurred less than a month after draft night.
Moreover, the excitement fans have right now will unfortunately be for the time being, as the first-round picks throughout the next few seasons can be counted on one hand, and Kawhi Leonard’s era with James Harden is expected to conclude in 2027.
The summer of 2027 could still be eventful, as valuable cap space will be available. Still, the nightmare of having no young talent survive into the long-term plans through nearly ten seasons will be a challenging truth that most will be forced to accept.