The Clippers are at the point where they need to prioritize not botching this offseason rather than acing it.
After grossly mishandling the signing of Bill Walton and eventually moving to Los Angeles in 1984, the franchise has been obsessed with the quick fix. The decades of utter incompetence from Donald Sterling aside, the desire for prominence has often resulted in the organization cutting corners and lacking long-term judgment.
Pairing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George was a move most rival executives would've jumped at the opportunity to make. Not having the foresight to retain some future assets in case two injury-plagued wings at the tail end of their prime was the sloppy miscalculation that will haunt this team unless they do something about it.
This summer is the chance to revitalize this roster with fresh faces and try to clean up some of this mess. Luckily, Lawrence Frank and Steve Balmer now have the playbook for which three players to avoid this free agency.
3 free agents the Clippers must steer clear from this offseason
1. Guard - Gary Trent Jr.
There's something aesthetically pleasing about Gary Trent Jr.'s game. He has a textbook stroke that AAU coaches around the country would love to have the next generation of hoopers emulate. His arsenal of dribble combos and crafty finishes is perfect for a Twitter highlight reel.
Trent's skillset is simply too self-indulgent. He is a ball-dominant guard who offers no playmaking ability. At one time, he was a serviceable defensive stopper on the perimeter, but he is back to measly being a cone on that end of the floor. His efficiency has fluctuated throughout his six-year career, but it has never been good enough to overcome his glaring weaknesses.
At best, he's a higher-end Bones Hyland who couldn't even put up gaudy numbers on a tanking Toronto Raptors side. Unless it's a cheap prove-it deal, Trent is the exact player archetype that struggles with winning basketball.