Before any move in the LA Clippers’ trade season begins, Lawrence Frank must have a word with the team’s scouts on how they have used their keen eye to jot down the young players around the league on the cusp of breaking out. This route is new to Frank and usually overlooked, but it can certainly take the Clippers back to championship contention.
The scouts' preference for Frank is for players on their first NBA teams. They do not necessarily have to be rookies or sophomores; they just need to show flashing signs of being held back, and the Clippers will permanently rescue them.
If the Clippers need help, the only excess work they need to do is analyze what some of the league's brightest teams did when losing struggles struck. They may even have some connections around the league that could provide resources to alleviate any stress that tags along.
The Clippers are in desperate need of a soon-to-be breakout star
As soon as the LA Clippers’ struggles became real, destroying every hope that they were a fluke, team scouts should have been scattered around the league, flying to different games in each conference with their notepad in hand, evaluating young talent.
Surely, the Portland Trail Blazers used this strategy to realize Deni Avdija was one of the NBA's next rising stars. Though the Washington Wizards received Bub Carrington(first-round pick), Malcolm Brogdon, and more draft capital, Portland deserves to pat itself on the back, as Avdija is averaging an efficient 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists.
However, the Trail Blazers are not the founding fathers of this well-devised method of talent search. The Utah Jazz succeeded as well with Lauri Markkanen, discovering an all-star who could consistently produce tier-one numbers as a first option.
Where were Avidja and Markkanen before their trades to the system that allowed them to flourish? Non-playoff teams. Portland’s fan-favorite was with the Washington Wizards, one of the NBA’s losingest teams of the last decade, and the Jazz’s one-time all-star was previously with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who missed the play-in in 2021-22.
There are other stars like Josh Giddey and Michael Porter Jr. who are in a change-of-scenery situation, yet Avidja and Markkanen suggest a common denominator where the Clippers could make their first trade. This will hopefully lead LA into a future that has a breakout star, gleaming the next ten seasons with optimism and hope.