Although it will be several years before LA Clippers fans worldwide can hope to try their luck in the NBA Draft lottery, the front office does have wiggle room this summer to start the building process. This is the most brilliant move, as they can draft young and develop while remaining serious contenders with Kawhi Leonard.
Furthermore, fans do not know how many more A-plus seasons Leonard has with the Clippers, but what is evident is that the end is coming soon. He is signed through the 2026-27 regular season and will only get extended if a third ring is added to his claws.
To begin the baby steps of a rebuild, the Clippers have two great opportunities in the first round, at 30, and the second round, at 51. Hence, the scouts must study the prospects that could be available nonstop and thoroughly investigate who could be the next rising star in Inglewood, California.
However, to speed up the starting process, the Clippers should package picks 30 and 51 to trade up in the 2025 NBA Draft. They will not be able to move much higher, but somewhere in the low-mid 20s would be ideal, as their future awaits to hear his name called.
The LA Clippers' front office should call the Utah Jazz and check what the price is on their 21st overall pick
The LA Clippers could always just hold on, refrain from the trade market, and hope the guy they have tunnel vision on falls 30th overall. But, this is dangerous, as the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns are ahead and could snatch LA's dreams away.
If the Jazz are open to moving their 21st overall pick, a swap from the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers should immediately barter their first and second in the draft.
This bumps the Clippers up significantly, allowing them to observe a higher class of talent such as Walter Clayton Jr.(Florida), Asa Newell(Georgia), and Nolan Traore(France).
The concern that will materialize by trading up to rebuild in Kawhi Leonard's final years is the developmental strengths of head coach Tyronn Lue. He is not the greatest in that field, and LA has failed relatively all of its young talent since he was promoted in 2020.
Conversely, with how he spoke on James Harden, executive Lawrence Frank still appears to have faith in Lue. This is acceptable, as the experienced coach was extended through 2028-29 last summer.
That said, the Clippers should still persistently make calls to move up on draft night, but over the next 12 months, Steve Ballmer must observe Lue's priorities closely.