Complete 2018 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams

Los Angeles Clippers

Key additions: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (draft), Jerome Robinson (draft), Marcin Gortat (trade), Mike Scott (free agency), Luc Mbah a Moute (free agency)

Key subtractions: Austin Rivers (trade), DeAndre Jordan (free agency), Sam Dekker (trade), C.J. Williams (waived)

The Los Angeles Clippers are really dedicated to straddling the line between staying competitive and the full-scale roster blowup that’s probably on its way. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and now DeAndre Jordan are gone, and the Lob City era is dead.

However, the other way of looking at it is the Clippers are trying to stay relevant for one more year, when 2019 NBA free agency will bring ample amounts of cap space, the lure of L.A. and a talented crop of players looking for somewhere new to sign. A complete rebuild would’ve driven those free agents away.

To that end, adding Marcin Gortat’s expiring contract provides a replacement for the departing Jordan. Trading away Austin Rivers clears out more backcourt minutes for rookies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson, and additions like Mike Scott and Luc Mbah a Moute (both on one-year deals) bolster the bench to keep faint playoff aspirations afloat while also maintaining flexibility.

If the Clips can’t compete with the other Goliaths in the West, the contracts are perfectly structured to ship away a useful bench piece or two for rebuilding assets. Keeping Montrezl Harrell was a great move, and even the Avery Bradley overpay isn’t so bad since the second year is non-guaranteed. It wasn’t a great summer for the Clippers, but with so many deals coming off the books next summer and a few youngsters added to the core, they’ll have plenty of flexibility to rebuild as they see fit in 2019.

Grade: B-