The Los Angeles Clippers arguably overhauled their roster more than any other team in the NBA this offseason. Here is a look at their full slate of roster moves.
The Los Angeles Clippers had one of the most action-packed offseasons in the NBA. They started off strong by buying into the second round and nabbing two quality prospects. Then, they secured what was probably the best return in a superstar trade this summer before the Cleveland Cavaliers shook the NBA world with the Kyrie Irving trade (possibly).
Their draft machinations and the Chris Paul trade alone would have been enough to make the Clippers one of this offseason’s most active teams. However, they did not stop there. The team revamped their roster with another sign-and-trade and brought on additional help with their free agency signings. Even the front office got a few much-needed infusions of new blood.
The Clippers could have decided to tear down the roster and rebuild. Once Chris Paul told them that he would not return, the team could have let Blake Griffin walk and traded DeAndre Jordan for future assets. Instead, they opted to re-tool the roster around Griffin. Only time will tell whether that was the right decision, but the Clippers did a solid job of adding pieces to keep the team in playoff position.
Future spark plug: Jawun Evans
The Los Angeles Clippers have not invested much in the draft during the Doc Rivers era. That lack of attention to future assets does not appear to be a staple of the new front office.
The Clippers bought the 39th overall pick and the 48th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. They used those picks to select Jawun Evans from Oklahoma State and Sindarius Thornwell from South Carolina.
Evans led Oklahoma State as the top-ranked offense in the country last season. He is an offensive savant who could be a top-notch sixth man in a few years and possibly even a spot starter.
Jawun Evans performed admirably in NBA Summer League, but did not particularly stand out. He did knock down an impressive 51.6 percent of his shots, and he dished out 4.2 assists per game against just 1.4 turnovers per contest.
However, Evans struggled to a concerning degree on the defensive end, and in the process showed less elite athleticism than most successful small point guards possess. Jawun Evans is a solid game manager who could potentially dial up his scoring against bench units. He might not ever become a starting point guard, but he does have the skills needed to contribute off the bench.
Grade: B
Sin City stuns in Vegas
This is the time of year when many fans and analysts around the NBA start to draw overly strong conclusions from Summer League games. The games are not always a great indicator of future success. In fact, inconsistent play among everyone from the top lottery picks to the undrafted rookies and older players vying for an NBA shot is almost to be expected.
The 2012 co-MVPs were Damian Lillard…and Josh Selby. Jonas Valanciunas won in 2013, and was followed in 2014 by Glen Rice Jr., who has played 16 career games and last played in the NBA during the 2014-15 season.
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With all that being said up front, Sindarius Thornwell was very impressive in Summer League. The aptly-nicknamed (at least on Twitter) Sin City averaged 14.2 points per game in Summer League. He was not particularly efficient from the field, but he got to the free throw line a whopping 32 times in just four games.
Thornwell also has enough size to guard multiple positions with his NBA-ready body and 6’5″ frame. He notably demanded to guard Brandon Ingram after Ingram eviscerated the rest of the team in his lone Summer League game. While Thornwell did not exactly shut Ingram down, he guarded him better than any other Clippers player.
Sindarius Thornwell did not show much shooting touch in Summer League. However, he did shoot 39.5 percent from deep in his senior season of college while improbably leading South Carolina to the Final Four with strong play on both ends of the floor. He will probably never start, but it is hard to see him not sticking around in the NBA as a solid role player for the next decade. For the 48th pick, that is truly phenomenal value.
Grade: A
The departure of a franchise icon, solid value for a superstar
Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the 2011-12 season and promptly revolutionized the franchise. He departs for the Houston Rockets six years later as the greatest player in franchise history and the clear shining beacon that turned the team around.
The Clippers went 32-50 the year before Paul joined the team. They won 40 of 66 games in the lockout shortened season and won more than 50 games and made the playoffs in all six seasons. Before 2011-12, the Clippers made the playoffs seven times in 41 years.
Chris Paul, despite the constant and misguided complaints about his playoff record, played brilliantly in the playoffs this season as he did throughout his career in Los Angeles. Paul averaged 25.3 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in the playoffs this season, all while remaining incredibly efficient with .496/.368/.879 shooting splits and only 2.7 turnovers per game. He flagged in the final Game 7, but only after putting up a heroic effort in the first six games.
FanSided
When the Clippers get their own stadium, Chris Paul should be the first statue in front of the building. He turned the team into a perennial playoff contender. Paul also played great playoff basketball barring his part in the team’s meltdown in the 2014-15 playoffs.
Chris Paul may have decided to leave the Clippers after six seasons, but he dished out one last assist by agreeing to opt into his contract as part of a sign-and-trade with the Rockets. Despite the difficulty of getting good value for a player in that situation, the return for Chris Paul also least softened the blow of his departure from Los Angeles.
While losing CP3 hurts, the haul that the team got in return certainly helps to make up for it. Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, and a first round pick (hold that thought) in return for a superstar would be a pretty decent trade. Getting that return for a superstar who could have opted out and become an unrestricted free agent is staggering.
The Clippers will not be able to replace Paul’s production with a single player. However, they got his fellow First Team All-Defense guard in Beverley. Beverley is one of the league’s most dogged defenders. He can switch capably on that end of the floor and shut his man out of the game. Beverley, a career 37.5 percent shooter from deep, is a prototypical 3-and-D guard with two years and only $10 million left on his incredibly cheap contract.
On top of adding Beverley and the first round pick, the Clippers acquired two solid rotation players in Dekker and Harrell. Dekker will be valuable as a combo forward behind the two frontcourt starters coming later on this list. Montrezl Harrell brings elite athleticism despite small size at center. He could be a solid backup to DeAndre Jordan.
Those three players combined, in addition to the player the team got with the first round pick mentioned above, might be able to approach replacing CP3’s production.
Grade: B+
Blake Griffin Re-signs
The Los Angeles Clippers could have gone into a tailspin after Chris Paul declared his intentions to leave the team. Instead, they managed to turn Paul into some valuable assets.
However, far more important than the Paul trade was convincing their other superstar to return. Just days after CP3 became a member of the Houston Rockets, Blake Griffin re-signed with the Clippers for five years and $173 million.
The decision to re-sign Griffin could potentially lead to some issues down the road. While Griffin’s injury woes are overblown, they could still derail this contract. With Paul out of the picture, the team will go as Blake goes.
That being said, Griffin might be poised for a breakout season in 2017-18. He will have more room to run the offense without CP3 at the helm. Griffin is one of the league’s best passing big men. Furthermore, only Giannis Antetokounmpo is a better ball-handler than Griffin among 6’10” or taller players.
The Los Angeles Clippers are once again Blake Griffin’s team, and he will have every chance to show that he is one of the league’s elite talents who can be the primary option for a playoff team.
Grade: B-
The New Frontcourt G
The Los Angeles Clippers locked down their once and future power forward when they convinced Blake Griffin to return. They already had their center spot locked down with iron man DeAndre Jordan.
After half a decade of struggling to fill their last frontcourt spot, the Clippers found a solution this offseason. They added Danilo Gallinari in a sign-and-trade involving the Atlanta Hawks, the Denver Nuggets and the first round pick that the Clippers received in the Chris Paul trade. Gallinari now joins the Clippers on a three-year, $65 million contract.
Gallo brings scoring brilliance and great size at 6’10” that will allow him to play both forward spots. He can slide down to power forward in bench lineups or play there full-time if Griffin misses time due to injury.
The Clippers could have used Gallinari three years ago, but getting him now is still a boon to the team. While Gallo comes with an injury history that is far more concerning than Griffin’s, he was mostly healthy last season. Last year was Gallinari’s best year since he missed the 2013-14 season with an ACL tear. Hopefully, he can build on that next season in Los Angeles.
Grade: B-
Milos Teodosic (finally) comes to the NBA
The NBA has been waiting for EuroLeague star Milos Teodosic to come over for years. NBA fans will finally get to see the 30-year-old work his magic in the NBA this season with the Clippers. Teodosic signed a two-year deal for $12.3 million with a second-year player option.
Many people, including new teammate Patrick Beverley, consider the Serbian star to be the best pure passer in the world. Teodosic is not just a passing wizard either; he is an excellent jump shooter from mid-range and the FIBA 3-point line.
The biggest issue with Teodosic, however, is his defense. He is slow and relatively unathletic even in the slower-paced EuroLeague game. While he might be the best passer in the world, he will be one of the worst defenders in the NBA next season.
The Clippers lost one of the best point guard defenders in the league and one of the best passers in the league. They replaced that one man with one of the best point guard defenders in the league in Patrick Beverley. By signing Milos Teodosic, the Clippers more than adequately filled the passing niche as well.
Grade: A-
Willie Reed Joins the Los Angeles Clippers
One of the Clippers’ biggest issues in the 2016-17 playoffs was their lack of big man depth. Other than Marreese Speights, who is closer to a 6’10” shooting guard than a true big man, the team did not have anyone besides DeAndre Jordan who could even pretend to man the middle.
The Clippers solved that problem nicely by snagging Willie Reed with a minimum contract. Reed is a good finisher around the basket who can catch lobs whenever Jordan is not in the game. More importantly, he is a great rim protector who can shore up the team’s defense when they go to the bench.
Given some of the recent overpays for bench big men (looking at you, Enes Kanter and Bismack Biyombo), Willie Reed is a steal on a minimum contract. This may have been the smallest move of the Clippers’ offseason. However, it might be the best value deal of them all (barring getting something for what could have been nothing in the Chris Paul trade).
Grade: A
Overall
The 2017 offseason could have been disastrous for the Los Angeles Clippers. They could easily have lost Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and Blake Griffin — and received nothing in return.
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While the team did lose Redick sans compensation, they got a better haul for Chris Paul than anyone could have expected. Furthermore, they only lost one of their two superstars by convincing Blake Griffin to return.
The moves from this offseason are not risk-free. Griffin could become an albatross by the end of his contract due to injuries, aging or a combination of the two. Gallinari could become an injury albatross as well, and that outcome is far more likely than sustained injuries to Blake.
However, the Clippers managed to lose one of the 10 best players in the NBA and still remain pretty solidly in the playoff picture. Their odds of gaining home-court advantage are far lower than last year, both due to losing Paul and due to the rest of the West getting stronger.
All things considered, the Clippers will enter the 2017-18 season in far better shape than fans might have feared without Paul or Redick in the picture.
Next: Ranking NBA teams by tiers for the 2017-18 season
Final Grade: B