5 increasingly bold NBA predictions for the highly anticipated 2024–25 season
By Ismail Sy
2) The Clippers will be a lottery team
The Los Angeles Clippers arguably had the worst offseason in the NBA, as they lost Paul George for nothing in free agency, re-signed an aging James Harden to a deal that will pay him 35 million per year for two years, and signed role guys like Derrick Jones Jr and Nicholas Batum to the roster. Not to mention, Kawhi Leonard is already out indefinitely due to a knee injury.
The Clippers are old and unexciting. They are moving into a new arena with one of the oldest rosters in the NBA and got remarkably worse in the offseason. They do not control a first round pick for the next five years. With everyone around them in the West getting better and their best player having an inability to stay healthy, they will be a bottom-ten team in the NBA.
They have win-now players that are on a team that is not ready to win. They have an aging star duo that does not scare anybody. They have an owner who is ready to spend, but who wants to come and play ball for the Clippers right now? They couldn’t even keep a superstar they gave up so much for and they were willing to let him walk.
The worst part about it is even if the Clippers do tank, their draft pick will likely convey to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who can add another young player to their core. The Intuit Dome will be the most exciting part of LA’s season and that is not a good thing.