Why The Los Angeles Clippers Do The Deal 

The Blazers may refuse to blow up their core. On the other hand, the Clippers may not do the same. 

This team has problems. They’re falling well short of expectations in 2022-23. Meanwhile, George and Leonard both tend to get injured. That’s a major concern for a star pairing. 

With this deal, the Clippers give themselves options. They could trade Leonard in a separate transaction and launch a wholesale rebuild. 

On the other hand, they could keep Simons, and try to flip Sharpe and their new first-round picks to a rebuilding team for another major win-now piece.

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After all, Simons is a quality shot-creating guard. If this is more of a retooling process, the Clippers could build a deeper, more well-rounded squad. 

As long as Leonard is willing to wait around, of course.