Executive Lawrence Frank and the rest of the LA Clippers’ front office may have nothing to fight for this season, but they should still have their pen and notepad in hand as they scout the winners and losers of each round. Mainly, if a disaster occurs, Frank must be first in line to snatch from whichever team is looking to adjust significantly this summer.
Furthermore, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night, winning the series in five games. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was starstruck, as he did not know a team could be this good on both ends of the court.
After back-to-back Western Conference Finals losses, Minnesota’s front office could make some changes to their roster this offseason. Of course, Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert are there to stay, but the rest of their depth chart likely has their employment status for the Timberwolves at stake.
The Clippers, in the same boat, now have a major window of opportunity to significantly improve in preparation for next season as they could make a reasonable offer on countless Minnesota stars.
However, the Timberwolves have one guy in particular the Clippers should target, and this trade season is the perfect time to get him.
The Thunder picking apart Minnesota may have easily provided the Clippers with Donte DiVincenzo
Retooling and regrouping for a better outcome next season is something the Minnesota Timberwolves front office will likely do, and this places their highly talented wing, Donte DiVincenzo, on the trade block. This is primarily because of some key differences between his regular season and playoff impact.
DiVincenzo was not bad in the postseason, as he consistently hustled and made defensive plays; however, his offensive performance was much more mediocre. He was an elite three-point shooter in 62 regular-season games, shooting 39.7%, but in all three playoff rounds, he shot 31.8%.
This represents a significant drop-off, prompting Minnesota to reconsider their options. If so, the Clippers could offer Kris Dunn, Drew Eubanks, and a second-round pick for the two-time NCAA Champion.
Dunn, being much more polished and seasoned with experience, reunites with the team that drafted him fifth in the 2016 NBA Draft.
On the flip side, DiVincenzo would join Bogdan Bogdanović on the Clippers’ bench if he is also not traded. This formidable duo is much better on both sides of the ball than any combination of players in LA's second unit last season.