The Los Angeles Clippers appear to be primed for an exciting offseason that has many expecting one, if not two, superstars to build a contender.
TheLos Angeles Clippersare one of the most exciting teams to follow this summer as there is a chance that the Clippers emerge from the offseason as the best team in the Western Conference.
We are heading into arguably the deepest free agent class ever with so much star power. Fortunately for Clipper fans, the Clippers have enough space to realistically sign two max contract superstars, which has everyone getting excited.
It is not just the fact that they have the space that is fueling the excitement. The team has also been heavily connected toKawhi Leonardand has even been briefly mentioned in theKevin Durantdiscussion.
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All in all, it is understandable if you are a Clippers fan and expect the team to solidify title contention this summer.
However, some fans seem to be getting a bit too far ahead of themselves and are expecting these signings as if they are a guarantee. A lot can go down this summer and there is the scary possibility that the Clippers either end up with someone they didn’t want initially or no star altogether.
Just think about it. What if Kawhi wants to either stay in Toronto or sign with a different team, like the Los Angeles Lakers? Then let’s say that both Kevin Durant andKyrie Irvingwant to sign with the New York Knicks.
DeMarcus Cousinsis coming off an injury,Klay Thompsonappears content to stay in Golden State,Jimmy Butleris not necessarily the best locker room presence andKemba Walkerwould get paid too much to just clog the backcourt.
There is a legitimate chance that the Clippers get nothing, and while we would obviously want to see the Clippers strike gold this summer, there is a not-so-unrealistic path where they end up empty-handed.
So, what should the team do if no stars sign with LA?
That is hard to gauge. You could make the case for signing a secondary star, likeNikola Vucevic, but as we saw withTobias Harrisand the Clippers this year and Vucevic and the Orlando Magic, that is not going to make a massive difference.
Really the only strategy that would make sense at that point is to sign one or two decent role players on decent contracts and fill the rest on expiring deals.
The Clippers can sign two guys for around $10-12 million each, reserving the rest of the cap for the expiring deals. OnceDanilo Gallinari‘s contract expires after the 2019 season, the Clippers would once again have space for two max guys.
Would it make the Clippers a contender? Probably not. But signing impact role players and expiring deals, perhaps some of which are returning to the team, can put the Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs and get that valuable experience once more.
But who knows. We have to wait for everything to play out after July 1. If the Los Angeles Clippers don’t get a star, though, they could be in for quite the headache.
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