NBA Daily: Clippers Must Address Numerous Issues This Offseason

It has been almost two months since the Los Angeles Clippers last took to the hardwood. The team fought through injuries and was in range of making the playoffs in a season that never really went according to plan. Despite the team’s best efforts, the Clippers ultimately failed to qualify for the NBA’s postseason. While the Clippers were unable to make it to the playoffs, their first failure to do so since 2011, they did show resilience and determination.

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was previously critcized for manufacturing his departure from the Boston Celtics to avoid overseeing that team’s rebuild. Last season, the Clippers attempted to rebuild on the fly with the offseason trade of Chris Paul and the midseason trade of Blake Griffin. While it did not result in playoff success, Rivers found himself willing to stick with the franchise, which was very dependent on young and largerly unproven players. Confirming his ongoing commitment to this process, Rivers accepted a contract extension a few weeks ago, keeping him at the head of the Clippers ship for the next few years. Rivers put out a statement noting that the “team battled through many challenges and much adversity, proving deep talent and even greater potential.”

With their head coach firmly rooted in place, the team has its sights set on the draft as the next stage of retooling. Looking back at last season, the team made the most of a draft with no first-round picks available. The franchise acquired the rights to guard Sindarius Thornwell in exchange for cash considerations. Thornwell had originally been selected 48^th in the draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Clippers were certainly able to yield value out of the lauded transaction as Thornwell proved capable of producing when needed due to various injuries on the wing and remains a useful prospect role player going forward. The Clippers also acquired the draft rights to Oklahoma State guard Jawun Evans (picked 39th overall) from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for cash considerations. Evans suffered through injuries but also proved himself to be an effective lead guard off the bench.

Currently, guard Austin Rivers, guard Milos Teodosic and center DeAndre Jordan have player options available to them and accordingly the right to depart L.A. In addition, guard Avery Bradley could depart as an unrestricted free agent. Austin Rivers has not decided whether to exercise his player option for next season, Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points reports. With the roster in flux, the Clippers need to consider their options and prepare to fill in vacancies that could be left by departing players.

The Clippers enter the 2018 NBA Draft with two first-round draft picks, which could prove extremely helpful in adding youth and talent to the roster. Should the team elect to stand pat, they will have the opportunity to select from several talented prospects. With no single position of need obvious, the team has an opportunity to simply allow talent and potential dictate who gets the call at the number 12 and 13 spots of the draft.

Various publications and mock drafts suggest that the Clippers, depending on how the draft shakes out, will likely select some combination of the following players: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Collin Sexton, Miles Bridges, Kevin Knox, Troy Brown, Michael Porter, Jr., Lonnie Walker, Robert Williams or Zhaire Smith. Of course, a number of these players may unavailable when the Clippers make their selections. Michael Porter, Jr. Kevin Knox, Collin Sexton and Miles Bridges may all be off the board when the Clippers make their selections.

Porter, Jr. has great scoring potential but any chance the team has of drafting him would be predicated on his stock falling due to long-term health concerns regarding his back. Sexton is a solid choice and could give the team a long-term option at point guard. Currently, Teodosic, already in his thirties, and Patrick Beverley, coming back from microfracture knee surgery, do not represent a long-term plan at the point. Gilgeous-Alexander of Kentucky represents a realistic choice as to availability and fit. Teams are always eager for a capable player and defender on the wing and the Kentucky product has shown the potential to play on and off the ball and defend multiple positions. Knox and Walker represent the potential so many teams hope for and could be steals if selected 12th or 13th overall. Williams is a Texas A&M product and an athletic rim-running center who doesn’t need the ball to be successful which sounds very similar to a young DeAndre Jordan. With the very real prospect of a Jordan’s departure this summer or next, many see the Clippers possibly taking Williams as the logical player to replace Jordan long-term.

The Clippers have been holding workouts, which includes a few of the above players, and others, as the team nears the draft. Basketball Insiders Eric Pincus confirmed a workout between Brown and Smith earlier this week for the Clippers.

Whoever is ultimately chosen, the team has a unique opportunity to bolster its overall talent level with two Lottery picks. This comes at a critical time as the team, for the first time in the coach Rivers era, made great use of younger players rather than veterans on the tailend of their respective careers.

An added benefit of having the Lottery picks is the more remote opportunity the team uses them to facilitate other transactions. Observers of the league were somewhat stunned when, instead of having Paul re-sign or simply depart via free agency last summer, the team was instead able to facilitate Paul’s desire to join the Rockets through a sign and trade that yielded the Clippers much-needed assets in return. The even more unexpected Griffin trade yielded relief from Griffin’s newly signed and very expensive contract in exchange for younger talent and future flexibility.

Now the team, headed by Lawrence Frank and Jerry West, has the opportunity to flip either pick, trade up or down in the draft or maneuver the team to acquire any of the potential big name free agents that have been rumored as available the last few months. While the prospect of landing LeBron James, Paul George, or Kawhi Leonard (via trade) is highly unlikely, the Clippers have recently made surprising and aggressive moves recently. The Clippers must deal with a roster that has a lot of moving parts and with an aggressive front office, two Lottery picks and other moveable assets, the Clippers are in position to address multiple issues in preparation for next season and beyond.