Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
As the NBA season moves forward, the Los Angeles Clippers have become one of the more fascinating teams across the league. After Los Angeles decided to trade away star guard James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers, it has left a ton of questions surrounding this franchise.
*PREDICTION*
Many of them revolve around what the future holds for star Kawhi Leonard, but at least for the remainder of the NBA season, Leonard will try his best to lead this team. Leonard has a solid roster around him after the trade deadline moves for this team, and it may give them a better chance to win.
Adding star guard Darius Garland brings some youth to this team, and once he returns from injury, he could pair nicely alongside Leonard. But Los Angeles alsotraded for Bennedict Mathurin, who could emerge as the next building block for this franchise.
Overall, the Clippers set themselves up very well for the future, while still giving the team a chance to contend this year in the Western Conference. But the one area that could be seen as a concern along this roster right now is in the backcourt.
Losing Harden left a big hole, especially in terms of playmaking, and we could see the Clippers try to address this issue. Los Angeles will likely try to add more talent through the buyout market, and luckily for them, there are a few quality names available.
But how aggressive the Clippers’ front office will be remains to be seen at this point. However, adding more depth to this team could help them make a deep run in the playoffs, if they can clinch a spot.
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Los Angeles Clippers Bring in Lonzo Ball
One option for the Clippers to consider, if the front office wants to upgrade the backcourt, could be to sign veteran guard Lonzo Ball. Ball was traded to the Utah Jazz from the Cavaliers, and Utah released him, allowing him to sign with any team in the NBA.
The former No. 2 overall pick is from the Southern California area, so this could be a true homecoming for him. The big issue for Ball in his NBA tenure has been his inability to stay on the floor, and it has hurt his overall potential.
Ball could provide the Clippers with more playmaking ability, and if he can remain healthy, he has proven to be a defensive presence on the floor over his career. While he has struggled shooting the ball at times, Ball could benefit from playing alongside stars like Leonard and Garland.
With the Cavaliers, Ball played in 35 games, averaging 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals. He has also shot 27.2 percent from beyond the arc this year as well.
Los Angeles wouldn’t need much from Ball in terms of scoring, and this potential signing would be more about his defensive and general basketball IQ. The Clippers have been searching for a true point guard to help run the offense for years, and Ball could be the missing piece.
Overall, there is little risk to this move since he would be coming in just fort he remainer of the season. If Ball wasn’t a good fit, the Clippers could look to part ways with him this summer.
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