Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2019 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2019/20 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Los Angeles Clippers.
Signings:
- Standard contracts:
- Kawhi Leonard: Three years, maximum salary ($103.14MM). Third-year player option. Signed using cap room.
- Patrick Beverley: Three years, $40MM. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Ivica Zubac: Four years, $28.52MM. Fourth-year team option. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Rodney McGruder: Three years, $15MM. Third year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- JaMychal Green: Two years, $9.77MM. Re-signed using room exception.
- Patrick Patterson: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Mfiondu Kabengele (No. 27 pick) from the Nets in exchange for the Sixers’ 2020 first-round pick (top-14 protected) and the draft rights to Jaylen Hands (No. 56 pick).
- Acquired Maurice Harkless, the Heat’s 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the draft rights to Mathias Lessort in a four-team trade with the Heat, Trail Blazers, and Sixers in exchange for cash ($110K; to Heat).
- Acquired Paul George from the Thunder in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Heat’s 2021 first-round pick (unprotected), the Clippers’ 2022 first-round pick (unprotected), the Heat’s 2023 first round pick (top-14 protected), the Clippers’ 2024 first-round pick (unprotected), the Clippers’ 2026 first-round pick (unprotected), and the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers in both 2023 and 2025.
Draft picks:
- 1-27: Mfiondu Kabengele — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-48: Terance Mann — Signed to four-year, $6.2MM contract. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using cap room.
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
- Signed head coach Doc Rivers to contract extension.
- Hired Tyronn Lue as lead assistant coach.
- Retained consultant Jerry West.
- Added Ryan West in scouting role.
- Lost director of pro player personnel Johnny Rogers to Wizards.
- Guaranteed Lou Williams‘ 2020/21 salary.
- Paul George underwent surgery on both shoulders.
- Fined $50K for tampering on Kawhi Leonard.
- Unveiled tentative plans for Inglewood arena.
Salary cap situation:
- Used cap space; now over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $129.32MM in salary.
- No cap exceptions available.
Story of the summer:
It’s easy to forget now, but during the week leading up to Kawhi Leonard‘s free agency decision, the Clippers were increasingly viewed as the most unlikely landing spot among the star forward’s top three options.
Leonard had just won a championship in Toronto and no reigning Finals MVP had ever chosen to change teams, so the Raptors were considered a strong option. And there was plenty of speculation that the opportunity to join forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis while returning home to Los Angeles might ultimately be too appealing to pass up.
On the morning of July 5, we published a poll asking which team Kawhi would choose. Approximately 54% of respondents chose the Raptors. Nearly 37% chose the Lakers. Just over 9% picked the Clippers.
About 15 hours later, in the early-morning hours of July 6, Leonard turned the basketball world upside down when word leaked that he had chosen the Clippers — and that he was bringing Paul George with him.
The Clippers’ inability to lure a second star free agent to L.A. early in the free agent process was believed to have negatively impacted their chances of landing Leonard, since it was unclear whether he’d be willing to sign with the team on his own. As it turns out, the notion that Kawhi likely wouldn’t come by himself was accurate — we just didn’t know what he had up his sleeve.
As it turns out, while he was weighing his own decision, Leonard had sold George on the idea of an L.A. homecoming, convincing him to ask the Thunder to trade him to the Clippers. Although the cost to acquire George was exorbitant, the Clippers eventually relented, recognizing that completing that deal would be the difference between landing two stars or potentially ending up with none.
When the dust settled, Leonard’s decision had directly – and drastically – altered the direction of at least four franchises — the Raptors’ title defense would be defanged, the Thunder were suddenly a rebuilding franchise, the Lakers wouldn’t enter the season as the overwhelming title favorites, and the Clippers had put together perhaps the most talented roster in team history.
Indirectly, the rest of the NBA was impacted too. If Leonard had signed with the Lakers, it would’ve represented an extension of the league’s era of “Big Three” superstar team-ups. And we would’ve entered yet another season with a pretty good idea of which team would win the championship in the spring.
Leonard’s decision left several teams unhappy, but it might have been the best move for the NBA in general, since it created a landscape featuring six or eight legit title contenders. Atop that list? The Clippers, who were given the best title odds for professional bookmakers during the preseason.
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Key offseason losses:
In addition to surrendering a pile of first-round picks to get George, the Clippers also had to part with two key pieces of last season’s 48-win team: Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gallinari was on a $22MM expiring contract and wasn’t likely to become a part of the Clippers’ long-term future, so the organization likely wasn’t devastated to part with him, but you could make a case that he was the team’s best player in 2018/19. He averaged a career-high 19.8 PPG and 6.1 RPG with a .433 3PT% and, most importantly, appeared in 68 games, his highest total since 2012/13.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s numbers weren’t as gaudy, but his trade value was higher, since he still has three years left on his inexpensive rookie scale contract. The former Kentucky standout started 73 games for a Western Conference playoff team, scoring efficiently and playing strong perimeter defense. And he did it all as a 20-year-old rookie.
As I noted when I reviewed the Thunder’s offseason, it’s very possible – even likely – that Gilgeous-Alexander will enjoy a more successful career than any of the players drafted with the first-rounders sent to OKC in the George blockbuster. The Clippers really nailed that SGA pick last spring and will miss him in their backcourt, but that’s the cost of acquiring an All-NBA player.
The Clippers’ other offseason losses shouldn’t have as significant impact. Garrett Temple and Wilson Chandler were solid veteran glue guys who could fill out a rotation, but they were replaceable. Both signed with the Nets.
In theory, the Clips had the means to bring back either player – or both – since Temple signed for the Brooklyn’s room exception while Chandler got a minimum-salary deal. However, L.A. used its room exception to bring back JaMychal Green, and prioritized re-signing other free agents such as Patrick Beverley, Rodney McGruder, and Ivica Zubac.
Key offseason additions:
George had been a five-time All-Star prior to 2018/19, but his sixth All-Star season was probably his best yet. He finished third in MVP voting after averaging a career-high 28.0 PPG to go along with 8.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, and a league-leading 2.2 SPG. As Russell Westbrook struggled with his shot-making over the course of the season, George was the one making the biggest buckets on offense for the Thunder while handling the toughest assignments on defense.
George will miss the start of the 2019/20 season after undergoing surgery on both shoulders in the spring, which is somewhat worrisome for the Clippers. But the expectation is that he’ll make a full recovery, and the team will give him all the time he needs to do so.
Of course, if Leonard had played in back-to-backs last season, it likely would have been him – not George – who joined Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden as MVP finalists. Because he had his load managed and appeared in just 60 games for the Raptors, Kawhi didn’t receive serious MVP consideration, but his per-game numbers for a 58-win team certainly warranted it — he put up 26.6 PPG on .496/.371/.854 shooting and – like his new teammate – was one of the NBA’s best wing defenders.
There are at least a couple other NBA teams with superstar duos who could give Leonard and George a run for their money, but the Clippers have a strong case for the league’s top twosome. Kawhi proved in last year’s postseason that he’s in the conversation for best player in the world, and there may not be an NBA player more valuable than a big combo forward who can lock down opposing scorers and score in a variety of ways himself. Leonard and George both fit that bill.
Among the Clippers’ other additions, Patrick Patterson is a stretch four who figures to see his playing time dialed back when George is ready to go. Draftees Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann probably won’t play a whole lot, though Doc Rivers showed last season with SGA and Landry Shamet that he’s willing to play rookies if they show they’re deserving of minutes.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning Maurice Harkless, whom the Clippers stole in one of the best trades of the summer. With the Heat and Sixers looking for a way to make their Jimmy Butler/Josh Richardson trade work, and the Trail Blazers joining the fray to nab Hassan Whiteside, the Clips stepped in to acquire Harkless, a future lottery-protected first-round pick, and a draft-and-stash player (Mathias Lessort) in exchange for $110K in cash in the four-team trade.
While it’s not uncommon for teams taking on salary to receive a first-round pick for their troubles, it’s not as if Harkless was a distressed asset. He had a down year in 2018/19, but he has historically been a decent three-and-D player off the bench, and he had just one year and $11MM left on his contract.
Taking him on and getting a first-round pick would have been an ideal move for a rebuilding team like the Knicks. The fact that a contender like the Clippers pulled it off was masterful. That first-round pick acquired in the Harkless deal was one of the picks the team later included to secure George.
Outlook for 2019/20:
The biggest question mark for the 2019/20 Clippers is health. Leonard has only played 69 regular season games in the last two seasons, and George dealt with injuries in both shoulders last year. If one or both of those stars misses significant time or isn’t healthy for the postseason, that could be big trouble for L.A.
Still, this is a deep, talented team that’s capable of earning a playoff spot even if both of its stars have to miss time due to injuries or load management. As long as Leonard and George are good to go once the postseason begins, the Clippers have championship upside.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.