It is exhausting to pinpoint an authentic sin right here. Each step that took the Clippers thus far was no less than defensible within the second. Buying and selling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a mountain of draft picks for Paul George seems to be horrible now. It additionally created a championship favourite. Doubling down on James Harden was riskier, however, nicely, they’d two growing old All-Stars already. If there’s ever a time to take a position property within the current, would not or not it’s then? Kawhi Leonard had performed in 32 of a potential 36 video games for the Clippers on the day they signed him to a three-year extension final season. He was averaging virtually 24 factors on practically 50-40-90 taking pictures for a 23-13 crew. Letting Paul George depart that very same crew over the summer season made sense in mild of how the season ended. The Clippers of January have been way more promising than their April counterparts. The complete weight of the brand new CBA was beginning to come down on all the league.
The selections weren’t bulletproof, however the course of largely made sense. The Clippers made an aggressive, five-year push for a championship that always included, if just for briefer stretches, championship-level efficiency. They principally allotted sources in accountable methods and focused the precise types of gamers. They by no means got here off like a crew with no plan. Their plan simply did not work. One of many three stars that was speculated to carry them their championship is at the moment a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. The one they imported from the 76ers could not shoot 39% after the All-Star break. Leonard, the perfect of the three, appears injured past restore.
It doesn’t matter what received the Clippers right here, the end result is identical. This period of Clippers basketball is over. Let’s make that clear from the bounce. There isn’t any intelligent pivot. There isn’t any world during which the scrappy new crew of function gamers rallies, Leonard comes again wholesome in a couple of weeks and the Clippers scrimp collectively no matter meager property are left to commerce for another person’s unvalued All-Star like Zach LaVine or Brandon Ingram. This iteration of the Clippers has run its course. They will be unhealthy this season. Perhaps not “ship Cooper Flagg to Oklahoma Metropolis” unhealthy, however virtually definitely “ship a better single-digit draft slot to Oklahoma Metropolis” unhealthy. That’s going to occur. It’ll be embarrassing. And there’s little or no the Clippers can do about that.
However the Clippers are, broadly, a crew that tends to have a plan, and even when there is not any plan that salvages the current in need of a miraculous leg transplant for Leonard, this is not a entrance workplace that’s going to take half of a decade within the dumpster mendacity down. Even when it takes a couple of years to enact, the Clippers are clearly working in the direction of one thing. They would not have let George stroll free of charge with out some concept of how they wished to spend that cash in the long run. So the query we’re now dealing with is how the Clippers dig themselves out of this gap.
It’ll be a herculean process. Many of the property a standard crew would use to rebuild at the moment belong to Oklahoma Metropolis and Philadelphia. The Clippers cannot tank their approach out of this. There isn’t a notable youth on the roster and their first-round picks are encumbered till 2030. Do not rely on them flipping Leonard for a few of these property again, both. Somebody might need taken a danger on an injury-prone mega star below the 2017 CBA. In a world during which the youthful and more healthy Ingram barely registers a blip on the commerce market due to his anticipated contract calls for, nobody is taking up a three-year Leonard deal. Who might afford $50 million on a participant on who may not be capable to swimsuit up greater than as soon as per week?
This is not going to be a conventional teardown. It should be one thing nearer to the rebuild the late-2010’s Nets embarked upon within the years main as much as their signings of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. They will must win on the margins whereas organising some type of lower-cost path to a star acquisition below an inexpensive timetable. They most likely will not be capable to draft a star till 2030 on the earliest. There are methods they’ll land an older one earlier than then.
The Bucks is perhaps an instructive instance on this regard. Milwaukee cashed in its draft chips in 2020 by buying and selling for Jrue Holiday. They have been thought of asset-poor thereafter, however nonetheless managed to commerce for Damian Lillard three years later largely due to the pure replenishment of draft capital that comes with time. Groups can solely commerce picks seven years out. Milwaukee’s 2028, 2029 and 2030 picks have been out there to be traded for Lillard particularly as a result of they weren’t out there to be traded for Vacation. You may preserve making YOLO trades if simply wait a couple of years in between them.
Proper now, the Clippers have picks out there in 2030 and 2031. These most likely don’t get them wherever on the commerce market. For instance the Clippers endure two extra unhealthy years earlier than turning the web page. All of a sudden, the Clippers’ picks in 2030 and 2032, together with swaps in 2031 and 2033 can be found. That is a heftier bundle, and with Leonard’s contract expiring in the summertime of 2027, the final yr of his deal could possibly be comfortably used as matching cash in one thing larger.
Leonard has one of many solely offers on the books for that 2026-27 season. It is him, Ivica Zubac, Derrick Jones Jr. and Kobe Brown. With the cap anticipated to rise 10% yearly, the Clippers will comfortably clear max cap house if they do not add any extra long-term cash between from time to time. The query is who they may be capable to apply it to.
Free company has fallen out of vogue as a automobile for star motion currently. Stars have largely been in a position to have their cake and eat it too—the all-in period has fostered the concept that you could re-sign together with your authentic crew to make sure your monetary future after which pressure a commerce wherever you need and that crew will merely pony up the huge amount of draft picks it would take to land you. The aprons are a type of resistance in opposition to that thought course of. The second apron, particularly, is so restrictive that star trades are going to be virtually not possible for sure groups. As a rule, the groups a star needs to go to are those who will now be too costly to get them.
The star the Clippers misplaced is perhaps the instance that units their new blueprint right here. The Clippers signed George on the top of free company’s energy within the NBA — 2019, an offseason during which 4 reigning All-NBA gamers signed outright with new groups. Free company died down from there, however when George tried to get traded to Golden State earlier than free company started in 2024, the Clippers and Warriors could not conform to a deal partly due to all the transferring elements financially. There have been no such issues with the 76ers. He might signal with them outright, so he did. This is perhaps the brand new mannequin for star motion. Getting traded to an present contender could now not be financially possible, so stars should construct their very own winners on extra versatile groups.
This appears particularly related in mild of the doubtless loaded 2026 free agent class. Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trae Young, De’Aaron Fox and Kristaps Porzingis headline what could possibly be the perfect group of unrestricted free brokers in years. A lot of these gamers will prolong forward of time. Inevitably, one or two shall be out there. Traditionally talking, Los Angeles tends to be fairly interesting to free brokers. Having these draft picks and an expiring Leonard deal might show helpful on this respect. If there is a participant that one in every of these 2026 free brokers needs to hyperlink up with in a premium market, the Clippers might probably have the instruments to accommodate them a lot as they did George and Leonard in 2019.
The precise names concerned listed below are unknowable on a two-year time horizon, however some model of this strategy might be the quickest path again to relevance out there to the Clippers. The 76ers simply confirmed us that free company could possibly be making a comeback, and the Bucks confirmed us how shortly a crew can get again into the star commerce market. If the Clippers are snug being uncomfortable for one more few years, there are paths again within the playoffs out there to them earlier than the tip of the last decade. Given how bleak each different choice now seems to be, that is the one plan value pursuing.
