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Los Angeles Clippers: Kevin Durant to L.A.?

By Cameron Stewart

May 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) is defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Thunder 101-99 to tie the series 2-2.Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
May 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) is defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Thunder 101-99 to tie the series 2-2.Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rumors regarding Kevin Durant‘s upcoming free agency are heating up. The Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly willing to part ways with a superstar in order to obtain Durant.

While much of Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski’s reporting on Kevin Durant’s free agency that will begin this offseason focused on the Golden State Warriors being the frontrunners to sign Durant, there was a part of his reporting that went under the radar.

Wojnarowski reported that the Clippers, like every other team in the NBA, are intrigued at the prospects of having Durant on their roster. The Clippers “won’t hesitate” to move Griffin if they can replace him with Durant, according to Wojnarowski’s sources.

Let’s take a quick look at the math situation for the Clippers and Durant. The Clippers have $77,117,222 of salary committed to players for next season. That number could go up if Wesley Johnson and/or Cole Aldrich use their player options for their league minimum deals for next season or the Clippers exercise Lance Stephenson‘s $9.4 million team option for next season. The salary cap is projected to be around $89 million next year. Signing Durant will most likely require a max contract of around $25 million per year.

Los Angeles could be attractive to Durant due to the obvious benefits of living in Los Angeles (weather, off-the-court opportunities), competing for a title with a new group, playing with a point guard who is a bit more gracious when it comes to sharing the ball, playing for a coach with championship pedigree, and playing for a franchise that is more likely to spend big money in pursuit of an NBA title. If the Thunder and Clippers both fall short of a title, it could be time to shake up core units that have fallen just short of their title aspirations time and time again.

The Clippers won’t have enough money to sign Durant outright. The Clippers will pay their big three of Chris Paul, Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan a combined $64 million and would have to part ways with one of the three in order to be able to go after Durant.

If the Clippers received word that Durant would sign with the Clippers, the Clippers could opt to trade Blake Griffin to a team that’s under the cap in exchange for cheaper role players and/or young talent.

Also an option is a Griffin for Durant sign-and-trade.

The Thunder still have much hope to bring back Durant and he’s given no clear signals that he’s leaving Oklahoma City. Thus, the Thunder would loathe to trade away Durant unless they knew he will not be returning. If Durant does decide that he’s leaving, the Thunder wouldn’t have any better alternatives that dealing Durant for Griffin.

In most sign-and-trade scenarios, receiving a star player like Griffin in exchange for a player who wouldn’t be returning would be nearly impossible. When LeBron James chose to take his talents to South Beach, it was via sign-and-trade instead of through free agency. James was traded for two future first round picks and two second round picks, far less than what a transcendent talent like James would normally demand on the trade market. Sign-and-trade deals can be tricky to judge because they’re based off of leverage and financial aspects when making things work.

The Thunder would prefer that Durant remain in Oklahoma City, but Blake Griffin would make for one helluva consolation prize.

Sending Griffin to Oklahoma City would be a homecoming of sorts since Griffin was born in Oklahoma and played two college seasons for the Sooners. The Thunder would likely take a bit of a hit by exchanging Durant for Griffin, but would still possess two of the best players in the league and be a contender in the Western Conference.

Getting Durant in a Clippers jersey would elevate the Clippers from fringe contender to actual contender. The Clippers’ woes in the playoffs can be partially attributed to not having a go-to scorer to go out and get some points when the game gets tight. Durant is neck-and-neck with Stephen Curry for the title of best scorer in the game and has to be mentioned among the most gifted scorers in NBA history. Durant would fill a huge hole at the small forward position that has gone mostly to journeymen for years now.

Much has been made about the Clippers going 15-4 without Blake Griffin in the lineup. Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan have thrived with the extra space and kept the Clippers’ offense running smoothly. The Clippers’ decision makers have to understand that this is not a coincidence. Griffin is an outstanding player, but playing Griffin and Jordan together clogs up the offense. Replacing Griffin with another shooter has proven to be ideal for the offense in terms of offensive style.

Imagine this offense with Durant playing small forward or as a small-ball power forward. Scary. The Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan pick-and-roll has been the go-to play with Griffin out and it’s been wildly effective. Defenses have to pick their poison when defending the Paul-Jordan pick-and-roll. It’s working for the shooters around Paul and Jordan and a combination of Kevin Durant and J.J. Redick would demand attention on the outside. It would be nearly impossible to defend.

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While every team would love the chance to employ Durant, his addition to the Clippers would be extremely valuable given the needs of the team. Switching Griffin for Durant would give the Clippers a real chance to maximize their potential as a team both in talent and in playing style.

If the Clippers were to swap out Griffin for Durant while declining Stephenson’s option for next season, they’d still have a little less than $10 million worth of cap space to play around with.

The Clippers would have Paul, Durant, Jordan, Redick, Paul Pierce, C.J. Wilcox, Austin Rivers, and Branden Dawson on the roster for next season, with seven roster spots remaining to surround that cast with role players capable of competing for a title.

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Parting with Griffin, who sparked the Clippers resurgence as a legitimate NBA team, would be tough, but that would be the price of getting Durant to Los Angeles.

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