The LA Clippers are (finally) primed for championship contention

The LA Clippers just re-signed forward Robert Covington to a two-year, $24 million contract extension. They now have a full nine-man rotation under contract heading into next season.

If they pick up the team option on Ivica Zubac’s contract, their squad will look like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Marcus Morris, Norman Powell, Covington, Luke Kennard, Reggie Jackson, Zubac, and Terance Mann.

Now, the Clippers have had high expectations thrown on them ever since Leonard and George arrived in town, but with that crew, if they can stay healthy, they’ll be a top team in the Western Conference.

The LA Clippers are (finally) primed for championship contention

Just think about what LA has been able to do over the past two seasons. They made the Western Conference Finals last year and, despite being without Leonard and George for a good chunk of this season, fought their way into the Play-In Tournament.

Leonard is still one of the best players in the world, as is George when he’s healthy. And with all the experience they’ve gotten over the past two years, their depth is insane now, too.

The craziest part is that this team is objectively better than the one that made the Conference Finals not too long ago. And that’s the truth even without accounting for Leonard.

They effectively swapped out Patrick Beverley for Powell and Covington. As important as Beverley was to that Clippers team, the latter two combine to make a much greater impact.

All we’ve heard about for the past few seasons is how good the Clippers should be. Rarely have we heard about how great the Clippers have been, and that’s the primary issue.

However, Leonard is finally getting healthy. George looked like his old self when he returned from injury. They added a bunch of new, talented pieces. And they even have Morris, who they plan on using as a trade chip this summer.

Everything seems to be coming together for the Clippers. Barring injury, they should be fighting for the NBA Championship next season. But that’s always been the case.