The LA Clippers stand as a perennial Western Conference playoff contender in 2024 thanks to some massive decisions made nearly half a decade ago. In July of 2019, the Clips were coming off a 48-win season where Lou Williams won his third Sixth Man of the Year award. It was a fun group, but one with some obvious limitations that was not going to be able to take them to a championship.
Realizing this, the front office had a choice to make. With an offseason featuring some massive names on the free agent market upcoming, the Clippers had several targets they could pursue. Of course, they opted to go after the biggest name at the time, the reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. We would later learn that he was never going to become a Clipper without the assurance that his preferred running mate, Paul George, would also be there.
The last five seasons have been full of ups and downs with this duo at the helm, but the Clippers have still fallen short of their ultimate goal of capturing an NBA championship. Which leads us to wonder, what if the team had gone in another direction in 2019? Looking back on that offseason, there were several other high-level targets LA could have made a move for instead of Leonard and George.
1. Kyrie Irving
One of the other big free agents that summer was Kyrie Irving. Having just finished up his second season with the Celtics, things had not exactly gone according to plan for the star point guard. His production was still considerable at 23.8 points and a career-high 6.9 assists per game, but there were real questions about how happy he was in Boston.
After being injured for the team's run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018, Irving played below his standards as the Celtics fell to the Bucks in five games in the second round in 2019. Desiring a change of scenery, Kyrie signed a four-year deal with the Nets. With Kevin Durant joining him, the two formed one of the best duos in the association in Brooklyn.
The Clippers could just as easily have tried to sign Irving in that same offseason. Of course, now we know that the ramifications of doing so could have been less than desirable, with Kyrie missing extended time due to personal reasons over the next several seasons. All things considered, they probably made the right choice not signing him.
2. Jimmy Butler
The biggest thing the Clippers were in need of heading into the 2019-20 season was a clearly-defined star player that could be relied on to perform at a high level come playoff time. They had plenty of talented role players to fill other needs, but there was a clear lack of a top-tier player on their roster at the time. Well, one of the most obvious star talents that was available that summer was Jimmy Butler.
Finishing up the second half of the 2018-19 season with the 76ers, Butler had just undergone a tumultuous year where he became a bit of a villain in the eyes of some. Beginning the season with the Timberwolves, Butler infamously teamed up with third-stringers at practice and took down the starters, boasting about how the team needed him along the way. He would soon be traded to Philadelphia where he joined a top-level East playoff team.
Falling in seven games to the eventual champion Raptors, Jimmy had his own issues with the 76ers and ended up signing a four-year deal in Miami. It was there that Butler proved his ability to carry a team in the playoffs, bringing the Heat two NBA Finals appearances in four seasons. Looking back, the Clippers could have just as easily had Jimmy as their franchise player when he wanted out of Philadelphia.
3. Kevin Durant
We all know that it is nearly impossible to win an NBA championship without a top-five level player on your roster. The best talents are what lead to championships in this league, and that is why the Clippers went so hard after a proven superstar in Kawhi Leonard. The hope was that this move would be the one with the best chance of bringing them a title in short order.
But the Clippers could have opted to play the long game. If they had wanted to take a bit of a riskier approach, they would have had the option to go after Kevin Durant instead. One of the best offensive players of a generation, KD was in a unique place at the time. He was coming off four straight All-NBA appearances and two Finals MVPs with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, but the injury he suffered during the 2019 Finals was one that gave everyone around the NBA significant concern.
Durant had torn his Achilles, an injury widely known as one of the worst in all of sports. KD was still considered a top-five player in the world at the time, but that particular injury had the potential to seriously shorten his career. Thankfully, it did not, but it is understandable why the Clippers and other teams were hesitant to go after him at the time.
Had LA gone after Durant, they would have had to wait to utilize his services for a season while he recovered, but they ultimately would have had another all-world superstar on their hands.