Oh the mystery of what the Los Angeles Clippers would do this offseason.

On one hand, the Clippers have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George under contract together for at least one more year, so as long as those two stay relatively healthy, they should still challenge for a playoff spot in the stacked Western Conference. But on the other hand, Leonard and George aren't getting any younger, and they aren't getting any healthier.

Still, the Clippers' streetlights over spotlights proclamation in 2019 behooves them to try to contend for at least one more year. After all, in their healthiest season with Tyronn Lue at the coaching helm, they looked like a legitimate title contender. Of course, that was before Leonard suffered his annual season-ending injury.

With that in mind, their offseason decisions will be made with the intention of remaining competitive. That includes the players the Clippers will be targeting with the 30th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.

NBA-readiness might be what looks the most enticing to the Clippers. Perhaps Trayce Jackson-Davis could be one of their primary targets given his stellar defensive output in college as well as his more advanced age.

Nevertheless, the Clippers may very well go in another direction, perhaps swinging for the fences in preparation for a Kawhi Leonard and Paul George-less future that may be closer than one thinks.

Whatever the case may be, here are 3 sneaky targets the Clippers must set their sights towards in the 2023 NBA Draft so they could maximize one of their rare first-round picks over the past five years.

Brandin Podziemski

For the entire history of the NBA Draft process, there seems to be an overwhelming bias towards prospects with amazing physical tools. It's difficult to blame talent evaluators for this bias, as leaping ability, straight-line speed, and lateral quickness go a long way towards ensuring that a prospect's transition to the next level of competitive basketball is as seamless as it could be.

There's a reason why GG Jackson (among others) remains a projected first-round pick despite his inefficiencies in college. Jackson has otherworldly athleticism, and being 18 years old, NBA teams think they can mold a future starter, or perhaps even a fringe All-Star, out of him yet.

But it might be time for teams to prioritize translatable and scalable skill over athletic gifts. And Brandin Podziemski has the former in spades.

Podziemski, a late bloomer who transferred to Santa Clara after a lack of involvement in Illinois, blossomed into an efficient, three-level scoring machine for the Broncos. He averaged 19.9 points on 60.3 percent true shooting last season, which is no mean feat given the defensive attention he drew.

And then there's the case of his translatable skill on defense — his rebounding. He averaged 8.8 rebounds as a 6'4 guard, which, as Reddit user gosuruss pointed out, should make him, at the very least, a net neutral on defense. In fact, the aforementioned Reddit user dove in deep towards what makes Brandin Podziemski the most overlooked prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft, even establishing him as a potential Jalen Brunson-level contributor.

(Of course, that may be the most optimistic projection for Podziemski. But his well-rounded offensive game, defensive instincts and motor allow him to contribute far beyond his athletic gifts may say he would.)

Sure, the Clippers don't exactly have a need to add yet another guard. They still have the likes of Norman Powell, Terance Mann, and Bones Hyland under contract, with Eric Gordon looming as an insurance policy. But if Podziemski is available to them at #30, they should take that opportunity and run.

James Nnaji

Speaking of typical draft biases, the league's talent evaluators usually tend to gravitate towards players who are stateside. Luka Doncic is the prime example of this. Despite playing at a high level in the Euroleague, even winning Final Four MVP honors in 2018, he still fell to #3. And now, even with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making his case, he remains the undisputed best player of his draft class.

James Nnaji is not even close to being on a similar level to Doncic, that much is clear. Nnaji, after all, is a backup center for FC Barcelona Bàsquet, averaging just 9.9 minutes per game across all contests this season. But given the dearth of centers in this draft class, the Clippers may do well to snatch him up.

Nnaji is a raw 18-year old big man, but his athletic gifts mean that, if he develops accordingly, he should be one of the most ferocious lob threats, roll men, and rim protectors in the league.

The Clippers may not have the luxury of waiting, however. But if they decide to select a player with their future in mind, James Nnaji may not be a bad shout.

Tristan Vukcevic

Could Tristan Vukcevic be the next great stretch big hailing from Europe?

It was trendy, for quite a while, to compare any sweet-shooting big man coming from overseas to the great Dirk Nowitzki. But Nowitzki was simply a different animal. Before he became the iconic flamingo fadeaway master, he was unstoppable in the paint. He was a mismatch problem due to his combination of speed and size, and in the mid-2000s, with Avery Johnson at the helm, Nowitzki made it a focal point of his game to attack the hoop, leveraging the threat of his jumpshot to become one of the most feared players in the paint.

Vukcevic, at the moment, is not even remotely close to being the player Nowitzki was before he entered the league. But the 20-year old forward's shooting and offensive versatility gives him a high floor of contribution for the Clippers especially if he manages to hang defensively.