Monday afternoon, ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Klay Thompson will leave the Golden State Warriors this offseason if they don't offer him a five-year, $190 million deal and listed the Los Angeles Clippers as a team who he could potentially land with in free agency.
Meanwhile, a hot rumor throughout the 2018-19 NBA season has been that Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard is going to sign with the Clippers this summer.
If the Clippers pulled off signing Thompson and Leonard, they would be the best team in the Western Conference.
The Clippers are projected to have roughly $60 million in cap space this offseason, meaning they would have to unload cap space to be able to offer two max contracts — which Thompson and Leonard would command and theoretically receive. Their best chance of doing so is trading Danilo Gallinari, who is approaching the final year of a three-year deal, paying him roughly $23 million for the 2019-20 season.
Trading Gallinari would be a gut punch for the Clippers, as he was a vital piece to their competitive and resilient season. Plus, he has been one of the Clippers go-to scorers in recent memory. But if it means adding Thompson and Leonard, the Clippers have to move Gallinari to a team that can absorb his cap hit.
Thompson isn't a forgotten commodity, but when you're playing behind Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, your skill set and capabilities can be a bit forgotten. He's a sniper from beyond the arc, shoots off the dribble with ease, physical, and is an elite defender. Thompson has averaged 20-plus points per game in each of the last five seasons while shooting above 40 percent from beyond the arc in every year he has been in the league.
Leonard has proven he's not a product of the San Antonio Spurs system in his first year with the Raptors. He's excelling in isolation, has become one of the most lethal midrange shooters in the NBA, and has always been a shutdown defender. Meanwhile, he's versatile, can play off the ball, and push the ball up the court. This season he averaged a career-high 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He went into the Raptors' Game 6 matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night averaging an astonishing 31.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in the postseason.
Thompson and Leonard would join an intriguing Clippers squad that has several up-and-coming youngsters, most notably Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montrezl Harrell.
Gilgeous-Alexander dazzled in his rookie season. While the 10.8 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds he put forth per game in his rookie season doesn't wow anybody, they don't tell the whole story. The Kentucky product is a physical defender, improved his midrange game as the season went on, and showcased the ability to be a floor general. He would be able to get Thompson the ball in all the right places and find Leonard cutting inside.
Harrell embodies everything the Clippers were this season. He finishes inside, is a gritty player, tenacious defender, hits the boards, and does a little bit of everything. Averaging 16.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, Harrell put himself in position to be a finalist for both the Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player Award. A frontline tandem of Leonard and Harrell would be a versatile and crafty pairing.
Off the bench, the Clippers also feature Lou Williams — who is arguably the best bench scorer in the association. He has been the Clippers' most consistent scorer over the last two seasons, plays in isolation, and embraces taking shots in crunch time. Williams has averaged 20-plus points per game in his two seasons with the Clippers and averaged a team-high 21.7 points in the postseason.
The man running the show on the sidelines is also one of the most respected and best head coaches in the NBA, that being Doc Rivers. While the jury was out on Rivers after Chris Paul's awkward departure two years ago, he put together arguably the most impressive season of his coaching career. The Clippers traded their number one scorer, Tobias Harris, and endured a handful of midseason trades that challenged their depth and forced players to man bigger roles; Rivers pushed all the right buttons.
He utilized his veterans accordingly, gave their youth the chance to grow, and got the most out of his players; that's what a good coach does.
Put it all together: two stars, budding young players, a lethal sixth man, and a great head coach. That would be the most dangerous team in the West from the get-go. Plus, the rest of the conference is a mystery past this season.
For the last year, it has been reported and speculated that Durant will be leaving the Warriors this summer. If that happens, the Warriors would still be a respectable team, but would also be dethroned as the most unbeatable team in the NBA; the Oklahoma City Thunder are an enigma that can't escape the first round.
The Utah Jazz are a great defensive team, but lacking the bonafide scorers to contend; the San Antonio Spurs are a gritty, veteran group, but not a Finals threat; the Sacramento Kings are on the rise, but still haven't made the playoffs with their young core; who knows what LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are going to look like next season.
The Clippers' biggest challengers would be the Houston Rockets, who are led by the elite backcourt duo of Chris Paul and James Harden; Denver Nuggets, led by the rising Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray; and Portland Trail Blazers, who are led by their backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
The Clippers took the Warriors to six games in the first round of the playoffs while relying on a rookie guard, discounted veterans, and team defense. That combination stared the likes of Durant, Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala right in the face and beat them in Oracle Arena twice. How many teams in the NBA beat the Warriors on their home floor once this season, let alone twice? How many teams have taken the Warriors to six games in a playoff series since Durant's arrival in Oakland?
The pitch has been made. No stars and a midseason roster turnover still resulted in the Clippers making the playoffs. Adding Thompson and Leonard would have a 10-plus win impact, and once they build chemistry and get in a groove, the Clippers would have the makings of a championship contender.
The NBA has become a star-driven league, and if the 48-win Clippers add two of the best players in the NBA, they will be as difficult as any team in the league to overcome in a best of seven-game series.
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