2. Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are going to take a step back this season without Kawhi Leonard. His playing status for the 2021-22 season is up in the air after he underwent a procedure on his knee following an injury against the Utah Jazz in the second round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles should still have enough to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, especially after they went 4-4 the remainder of the postseason without Leonard in the lineup. But, acquiring someone to help fill the void would make sense and Dillon Brooks would fit the bill.
Brooks is a win-now asset that would help keep the Clippers competitive, stepping into the starting forward spot until Leonard is healthy enough to return. Replacing Leonard with one player is impossible to do, but Brooks would be a great fill-in.
He gets after it defensively and doesn’t shrink on crunch time. He averaged a career-high 17.2 points per game last season and took it to another level in the postseason, averaging 25.8 points per game in the first-round series against the Jazz.
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Brooks would give the Clippers an excellent sixth-man upon Leonard’s return, further bolstering their bench and small-ball units when they are healthy.
