Los Angeles Clippers: Time to go towards rebuilding, not contending

The Los Angeles Clippers are at a crossroads between contention and rebuilding and the choice, at least from the outside looking in, seems clear.

With the recent news of Kawhi Leonard wanting out of San Antonio, Los Angeles Clippers fans may be getting exciting.

Los Angeles is Leonard’s preferred destination of choice, making the Clippers a potential target. While the Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as the sole favorites for this trade, the Clippers are right there with the Lakers as the only hometown fit for Leonard.

Thus, even despite disbanding Lob City over the last calendar year, the idea of contending for a title may still be fresh in Clippers’ fans’ minds. Just the thought that it is possible for Leonard to come to the Clippers is enough of a glimpse of hope for a fan base. Trust me.

However, as the Clippers currently stand, it is time to go the other direction. While the roster is still filled with solid players that can at least keep the team in the playoff mix, stripping the roster and starting anew is the best bet.

First and foremost, several talents can walk away this summer. Austin Rivers, DeAndre Jordan and Milos Teodosic all have player options this summer. The trio joins Avery Bradley and Montrezl Harrell, who are free agents this summer.

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That leaves the Lakers with trade chips in Patrick Beverley, Tobias Harris, Lou Williams, Wesley Johnson and Boban Marjanovic. Beverley, Harris and Williams are the three to keep an eye on.

Throw in the injury-prone Danilo Gallinari and his large contract and the Clippers have no salary cap at the moment. In fact, Gallinari is the only contract that is long-term at all for the Lakers. Of the trade chips mentioned, Lou Williams is the only player that is under contract past next season.

Thus, the rebuilding phase is seemingly inevitable. With all of these role players walking and roles to be filled on contending teams, the chance of the Los Angeles Clippers retaining this group of guys is slim.

With two lottery picks in the 2018 NBA Drafts and the fact that the team owns its own picks for the coming years, it makes more sense to disband the one or two years of these role players and get what they can out of them.

That way, the Clippers can accelerate this process and get back into contention earlier. At the current rate, if the Clippers try to piece together a fourth-seed that gets knocked out in the second round, the Clippers will be in a worse state for longer.

Next: Miles Bridges Clippers draft profile

Thus, the direction the Clippers should take is evident and all of the noise around Kawhi Leonard should be ignored. It is time to rebuild.

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