The Clippers could become Players

The LA Clippers traded away Tobias Harris yesterday in a blockbuster deal that acquired salary filler, Landry Shamet and a number of picks. In terms of hauls, this was a strong return on a player who was uncertain about returning to LA. The move provided LA with expiring contracts and a talented young shooter who could feasibly mould into a JJ Redick type player. Moreover, it opened up cap space for 2019, the Clippers are currently projected to have $62.3m in terms of team payroll. This would mean that they would have $36m open in cap space providing that the projected salary cap stays at $109.1m. This is more than an enough for a max free agent and it is possible that the Clippers could generate even more cap space.

Avery Bradley’s contract is worth $25m but the last year of the contract is not fully guaranteed. This essentially means that it is easier to move Avery Bradley to another team as the need to match salaries is lower and there is less financial hit if Bradley is waived by the team who acquires him. This would open up another $12m in cap space. That would mean that the Clippers would have $48m in cap space that could be used to sign two marquee free agents while still retaining valuable players like Gallinari, Harrell and Lou Will.

The free agency implications are tantalising. The Clippers have been heavily courting Kawhi Leonard for the entirety of his tenure in Toronto. It has been noted that the Clippers have sent an organisation representative to the majority of Toronto home games this season. In some cases, LA even sent senior officials like Michael Winger and Lawrence Frank to indicate that their free agency aspirations towards Leonard are tangible. Kawhi Leonard has been quiet about the 2019 free agency but a possible sign that he has been considering the Clippers was his trade-list that was produced when he was still a Spur.

It was stated by Leonard’s representatives, Impact Sports, that Leonard would consider signing an extension with Clippers if he was traded there by the Spurs. This could suggest that the Clippers are a viable landing spot for Kawhi in the 2019 free agency period. The other item to note about Kawhi is that he is low-key and does not seek attention from anywhere. During his time with the Spurs, he was content to let other people talk while he focused on his game. With the LA Clippers, he would not have the same level of media duties that he does in a market like Toronto or even San Antonio.

In both Toronto and San Antonio, their basketball teams are the only teams in town, they attract much attention from beat writers and the media for this. In Los Angeles, the Clippers are clearly the second team to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are a storied, historic franchise who are showing signs of life due to the fact that they have the best player in the world on their team. The type of media circus that the Lakers and LeBron commands is unreal, every single word, action and subtweet is dissected by members of the media. The Clippers do not have that kind of attention because for large stretches of their existence the team was terrible. Moreover, the Lakers command all of the journalistic oxygen which means that the Clippers are often in the shadows.

Kawhi’s defensive presence and ever-growing offensive game would be the perfect fit for any team and would provide the Clippers with the depth of talent that is required to compete at the highest level. The Clippers would have a veritable LeBron stopper who is arguably the best two-way wing in the NBA. Leonard is simply that good.

The other factor that needs to be considered is the other $20m of cap space that could be used to sign other players. At present, that’s not enough cash to sign a max free agent. Trading Gallo is the probable method of opening another max slot. All in, the Clippers could have $65m in cap space available. A Gallinari trade will be difficult to balance the books in terms of ensuring that the Clippers do not take back contracts that would impact on their potential cap space. A three-way deal involving a team like Phoenix could be the most logical option. The team would involve a third team who would want to take on Gallinari’s contract in order to become contenders. A potential trade could look like this.

Clippers Receive: De’Anthony Melton (Phoenix) and Willy Hernangomez (Charlotte)

Hornets Receive: Danillo Gallinari

Phoenix Suns Receive: Bismack Biyombo, Dwayne Bacon, 2 Second-Round Picks from the Clippers, 2 Second-Round picks from the Hornets and a Top-15 protected First-Round pick from Charlotte that could convey in 2021.

This type of deal would make a lot of sense for all of the teams involved and would clear the type of cap space needed in order to acquire a player like Durant, Leonard or Davis. The Clippers would obviously benefit from thris trade but they would also acquire prospects who are on team-controlled contracts. Both Melton and Hernangomez have shown flashes of real talent at the NBA level and would fit in the Clippers’ youth movement. The deadline retooled the Clippers with the additions of Landry Shamet and Ivica Zubac. It means that the Clippers now have four players who are 21 or under. The clear benefit of this is that the Clippers get good production from young players on contracts that are cheap relatively speaking.

The Charlotte Hornets have been stuck in a basketball purgatory for a number of seasons. Kemba is too good to allow the team to tank but they are not good enough to consistently make the play-offs and cause some noise. The addition of a player like Danilo Gallinari could swing the balance and move the team into being a team that could feasibly cause trouble for the top-five Eastern Conference. It is not a stretch to say that the Charlotte Hornets could be the sixth seed in the East if they acquire Gallinari. In terms of tangible impact, Gallinari would provide another player who can create their own shot on the roster and a player who is hyper-efficient. This would reduce the dependency and workload that Kemba currently carries which would mean that he is less fatigued when it comes around to the play-offs.

The other key reason for why the Hornets may make this move will be to convince Kemba to remain in Charlotte. Kemba has been outstanding in Charlotte, he has put the team on his back and consistently delivered the goods. That being said, the Hornets have only made the play-offs twice in Kemba’s seven year tenure with the franchise. It is possible that the allure of playing at home in New York at the Garden will be too much to resist. The acquisition of a player like Gallo would signal that Jordan and Kupchak are dedicated to putting the right players around Kemba who could feasibly bring the Hornets into contention.

The Phoenix Suns would be the biggest beneficiaries from this trade deal. They would have to absorb a bad contract in the form of Bismack Biyombo who is a serviceable role player but is vastly overpaid. Biyombo received a $17m contract per year during the 2016 free agency off the back of his strong play for Toronto in the Eastern Conference play-offs. The type of contract would huge for the type who requires specific personnel around him in order to be valuable. However, Phoenix would receive another young player who could potentially round out into being a rotation and many draft picks. Phoenix would get four second round picks and a first-pick that would convey in 2020 providing that the Hornets make the play-offs. Draft Picks are one of the most valuable commodities in the NBA due to the fact that picks are highly liquid. This type of assets could be used to acquire talented players via trade or get out from bad contracts that are undesirable. As deals go, it could potentially be good for Phoenix.

Two Max Slots will mean that Kawhi Leonard could be acquired but there is also space for another marquee free agent to become a LA Clipper. The most obvious person would be Kevin Durant, the type of forward who would be desired by any NBA team. Durant would slot in as the 1a to Kawhi’s 1b. Durant is a four-time NBA scoring leader, former MVP and a person who has won two NBA championships. He has been there and has the type of experience that would be necessary for a team that has never made the NBA Finals.

The acquisition of both Leonard and Durant would provide the ultimate combination of scoring and defence from the wing and forward positions. Kawhi is arguably the best lock-down defender in the NBA and KD is the best scorer from the forward position, that is a deadly combination that would give a team like the Warriors or the Raptors fits. Moreover, the one aspect that cannot be underrated in regards to a KD-Kawhi duo is that both players have championship level experience. They understand what needs to be done in order to win championships and the type of winning plays that a team needs to do.

The prospect of the Clippers attracting Kevin Durant is tangible given the front-office staff who the Clippers currently employ. Jerry West is an experienced front-office who has built multiple teams from the ground-up. The Showtime Lakers, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors all came to be with the influence of Jerry West. Without West, it is possible that the Warriors trade Klay Thompson for Kevin Love and the ‘Splash Brothers’ led offence never comes to fruition.

Durant was reportedly sold on the Warriors by the atmosphere that was outlined by West. West stated that life with the Warriors would make basketball easier which appealed to KD as leadership of a small-market franchise can be exhausting. It is entirely possible that West’s advice and experience could tempt Durant into joining the Los Angeles Clippers.

Michael Winger was a key deputy of Sam Presti before he took a position of general manager within the Clippers’ organisation. Michael Winger has become highly regarded within front-office circles in the NBA as someone who is willing to take risks and has applied his experiences in Oklahoma to his time in LA.

Oklahoma City is captained by Sam Presti, a bespectacled GM who takes risk and infamously quoted A Tribe Called Quest when describing his attitude towards risk and team-building. During Durant’s tenure, the entire Thunder front-office consistently produced championship-calibre that could feasibly contend with the ‘Heatles’ or the Warriors if healthy. That being said, it is not the work that Winger achieved during the Durant era which is most impressive.

The Thunder front-office pulled off an impressive trade for Paul George with seemingly very little assets. In Winger’s case, it was his last action with the Thunder front-office but he personally has gone from strength to strength. The Clippers have successfully built a flexible, deep roster that can continually make the play-offs and overcome obstacles that are placed in their way. For this season alone, they have traded away a fringe All-Star and have not totally fallen off a cliff, the team is still competitive.

The Clippers also present a brain’s trust that is comparable to the Warriors in terms of employing experienced staff who have all worked within different organisational philosophies. Trent Redden was a long-time Cavaliers executive who had worked within every aspect of basketball operations. His tenure with the Cavs was hugely impressive in terms of both achievement and also production for the organisation as a whole. Redden supported David Griffin throughout the entirety of the 2016 Championship and provided the team with direction when Griffin was mutually terminated. Doc Rivers is a highly regarded coach who has consistently built strong chemistry within teams that meant that players would do anything for their team-mates. In terms of organisational experience and strength, the Clippers are hugely impressive before you consider the broader vision of their owner.

Steve Ballmer made an audacious statement when he paid $2bn for the Los Angeles Clippers. It was a huge price for a team that had been previously mired in scandal and did not have the type of lineage that a team like the Spurs or Mavericks had. From Day One, Ballmer has been dedicated to turning the Clippers into being one of the most desirable NBA franchises and the type of team that is respected league-wide. The product that he inherited from Donald Sterling is completely different from the team that currently exists right now. Ballmer has funded a team that is diverse in terms of experience and has the type of on-court personnel who could withstand injuries or trades and still win games. The next idea for the former Microsoft executive is building the Clippers as a brand that draws fans and has the same type of reputation as the Lakers or Celtics.

The first sign that Ballmer has began to take the idea of a Clippers’ brand and legacy seriously was his hire of Lee Jenkins. Jenkins was a respected long-form writer for Sports Illustrated who was admired for his candid writings and dedication to the detail. Jenkins has been brought in to sweat the small stuff in regards to the Clipper players and ensure that a distinct identity is formed around the Clippers.

The other key step is the battle with AEG and the MSG Group. The Clippers are currently locked into a lease at the Staples Centre that is scheduled to run until 2024. The Staples Centre lease is not preferable for a team that wants to be establish itself as a serious player in the league, it often means that they have third privileges on the arena behind the Lakers and the LA Kings. In terms of tangible impact, it means that they do not get desirable weekend games that generate more revenue than say a Tuesday night game. Ballmer is dedicated to building a new arena in Inglewood that could effectively act as a the Clippers’ fortress.

Steve Ballmer has promised an 18,000 seater arena on a complex that has brand-new training facilities and the type of retail opportunities that NBA teams need as a secondary streams of revenue. Ballmer wants to build a home for Clippers that is permanent rather than a lease that strangles the Clippers in terms of visibility and financially.

This type of ambition is hugely attractive to prospective free agents, the owner working as hard as the free agent is promising as it shows that they actually care about the team. Far too many times, teams have faltered because the owner does not care about the property and views it to be just another asset in a larger investment portfolio. The Pelicans have failed to capitalised on the Davis Era due to the fact that the Bensons have not cared about the Pelicans, they care solely about the success of the New Orleans Saints. The Chicago Bulls are in a morass of ineptitude as Jerry Reinsdorf is reticent to take action that would remove GarPax. The reason for this is that GarPax do all of the donkey work and sacking them would mean that Reinsdorf actually has to do some work.

The final reason for why the Clippers are an attractive reason for Durant is that it provides him the opportunity to finally establish himself as the Number One player in the league. It is well-known that Durant often views himself in regards to LeBron James and believes that he should have equal status with the King. The Clippers could appeal to Durant’s ego by selling him on the opportunity to make the Clippers ‘The Franchise’ to follow in Los Angeles. A combination of Durant and Leonard would shift the media balance in Los Angeles and could displace the Lakers as the sole king of professional basketball in LA. It would be the type of power-flex that could provide Durant the opportunity to stoke an inter-city rival that could feed in to developing his own status as an NBA player. LeBron James, Chris Paul and James Harden have all elevated themselves through important rivalries, Durant could potentially do the same.

All in all, the Clippers have the chance to build something special. The superstar talent, the well-rounded deep roster and championship-level coaching would move the Clippers into the upper echelons of the NBA. An owner who stops at nothing and a front-office that is hugely experienced puts the Clippers in an elite NBA bracket. The future is incredibly for a team that has widely been regarded as the ‘Little Brother’ in LA.