The LA Clippers’ world has basically fallen apart, especially after they were gutted of five first-round picks following the investigation into cap circumvention between the organization and Kawhi Leonard. However, there’s an avenue the front office can take to steer the team in the right direction: take on a bad contract if it means they receive valuable draft capital in return. This is where having a ton of cap space in the near future will come in clutch.
Who has arguably the worst contract in the league? De’Aaron Fox of the San Antonio Spurs, who will begin his four-year extension worth a total of $221.7 million in the upcoming season. As a result, the Clippers could make the obvious trade for Fox and an unprotected first-round pick while giving up Darius Garland.
Would it bring pain seeing Garland go despite having flashed so much potential? 100%. But the Clippers have to do what they have to do for the betterment of their future.
The Spurs may want to get rid of De’Aaron Fox, so it works out for both teams
At the moment, the LA Clippers have lost a first-round pick in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033. That’s a ton of draft capital gone in the blink of an eye, and now it’s on the Clippers' front office to do everything in their power to restock as much as they can.
So, why not start by trading for De’Aaron Fox? He is a good player, with multiple All-Star appearances on his resume, but it’s clear as day the San Antonio Spurs want nothing to do with him.
That’s because Fox performed poorly in the playoffs, especially in the NBA Finals, where he averaged 12.8 points, shooting 34.3% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc. The seasoned point guard also had a handful of moments where his shot selection was not good at all.
This is certainly not a player worth an average of nearly $55.5 million over the next four seasons, and the Spurs made a mistake by paying him.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s easy to see why the Spurs would not mind attaching a first-round pick with Fox to a team that’s willing to take on the salary he comes with.
And, who knows? Maybe Fox might thrive in a different situation with the Clippers. It’s less likely, but certainly possible.
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