The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the favorites to win the title last season after signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George, but things took an unexpected turn in the Western Conference Semifinals when they led the Denver Nuggets 3-1. The Clippers totally collapsed in this series and ultimately lost three straight games after being up 3-1 and were out of the NBA Playoffs.
Paul George did not look like himself in the NBA Bubble as he really struggled on both ends of the court. After averaging nearly 28 points/game the last three years in the playoffs, George averaged just 20.2 points per game while shooting 39.8% from the floor. With George struggling and the Clippers not having a third reliable scoring option, the Clippers ultimately got booted from the playoffs since Kawhi Leonard could not carry the team on his own.
This offseason, the Clippers lost 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell, to the Lakers and traded away Landry Shamet. Harrell was the third leading scorer from a season ago for the Clippers and Shamet had been one of their “go-to” scorers off the bench. They did however sign Serge Ibaka and bring back both Marcus Morris Sr. and Patrick Patterson.
The biggest question surrounding the LA Clippers this season is where can they improve and where do they go from here? They did not improve this offseason signing Ibaka instead of Harrell and they have no bench depth on the wing outside of Luke Kennard, who they acquired via trade from the Detroit Pistons.
Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley are both names on the trade block for the Clippers who could very well be on the move this offseason and before the trade deadline. If Los Angeles is going to be a favorite to win the 2021 NBA Finals, they are going to have to make a move to improve their roster.
Here are five intriguing trade targets the Los Angeles Clippers should pursue before the start of the 2020-21 NBA season.