The Los Angeles Clippers entered the 2019-20 campaign as one of the favorites to win the 2020 NBA Finals, but everything looked different for this team after the NBA shutdown. When the Clippers entered the bubble, they did not look like the dominant team they had been over the course of the season with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but still entered the playoffs as the two-seed in the Western Conference and a strong favorite to reach the NBA Finals.
They took on the Dallas Mavericks who gave them a run for their money, but injuries to Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic were too much to overcome for the Mavs. The Clippers ultimately won the series 4-2 and set up a matchup with the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. After rallying down 3-1 in their first series to the Jazz, the Nuggets did the unthinkable and knocked off the Clippers in 7 games after trailing 3-1 again.
Not only was this loss heartbreaking for the Clippers, but caused a massive chain of events this offseason that could ultimately hurt their championship window in the Western Conference. First, Doc Rivers stepped down as head coach and GM of the Clippers and was quickly hired by the Philadelphia 76ers. Then, the Clippers were stunned to find out that reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell, decided to switch his locker room in the Staples Center and signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers biggest rivals.
Paul George was not himself in the NBA bubble, Montrezl Harrell decided to leave the Clippers this offseason, and this aging team has virtually no NBA Draft capital for years to come so where do the Clippers go from here? They are still considered to be a favorite in the Western Conference this season, but can they hold onto a high-seed in a conference that mostly every team in it improved this offseason, while they did not get any better?
A lot of the Clippers’ problems revolve around their backcourt and their situation at the point guard position. Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley have played their roles great over the years, one being a scorer off the bench and the other being a hard-nosed perimeter defender, but that is about all they can do.
With these two guys in the back-halves of their careers and not much upside to offer, it may be in the Clippers best interest to go out and pursue a high-level point guard on the trade market. Could Los Angeles look to bring in more superstar talent to their financially challenged roster near the trade deadline this season? Let’s take a look at three potential trades the Clippers could make.
