The LA Clippers‘ 2022 offseason was eventful yet somewhat quiet at the same time. Kendrick Perkins believes what they did has Kawhi Leonard‘s club as the winners of the summer.
Before free agency even started, the Clippers negotiated a new contract extension with impending free agent Robert Covington. The forward, who arrived in a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers in February, was impressive in his couple of months here, including dropping a career-high 43 points while knocking down a Clippers franchise record 13 three-pointers in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks late in the season.
The Clippers re-signed Nicolas Batum to a two-year deal. After his career resurgence under head coach Tyronn Lue and the glowing things he's had to say about the organization, Batum's re-signing was one of the most predictable moves of the offseason.
Ivica Zubac, who had one year left on his four-year deal with the Clippers, had his team option declined for the 2022-23 season. Instead, the two sides agreed to a new, three-year deal worth $32.8 million. Essentially, the Clippers gave Zubac two extra years with the team while giving him a pay raise from $7.52 million in 2022-23 to $10.93 million for the next three seasons.
John Wall was the second big move the Clippers made, agreeing to a two-year deal with a player option. There had been some rumors and murmurs surrounding Wall and the Clippers for months, but the two sides finally joined forces this summer. With Wall not having played much in the last three years, there are certainly questions that need to be answered about his status. Nonetheless, Wall says he's healthy and ready to help the Clippers win a championship.
The final offseason move for the upcoming season — which wasn't really a move at all — is the addition of Kawhi Leonard. Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL, but all signs are pointing towards him being ready for the start of the 2022-23 NBA season. Leonard last played in June, 2021, so 16 months away from the basketball court won't be easy to overcome, but Leonard appears poised for a big bounce back from his injury.
All this is why Kendrick Perkins believes the Clippers are the winners of the 2022 offseason.
“When you look at the Los Angeles Clippers, they won this offseason and I don't even think it's close,” Kendrick Perkins said on ESPN's NBA Today. “When you talk about the most important position in the NBA, the wing position, they Are loaded with them. From Paul George to Kawhi Leonard to Robert Covington to Nicolas Batum. They have Norman Powell.
And then you look at the point guard position: Reggie ‘Hot Sauce' Jackson and John Wall both competing for that spot. You can't go wrong with either one. They re-signed big Zubac. They have one of the best coaches in the game today in Ty Lue. And I'm looking at this team and i'm like I don't know a team that's more versatile than the Los Angeles Clippers and they have a loaded roster. They brought everyone back, they're gonna get healthy. I don't understand how they didn't get an A+ [on ESPN's offseason grades]. They was the team that was supposed to get an A+.
"When you look at the Los Angeles Clippers, they won this offseason and I don't even think it's close."@KendrickPerkins believes Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's squad won the summer 👀pic.twitter.com/tRlYo9COU2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 4, 2022
The NBA season is less than 11 weeks away from starting. In the meantime, players will be using these next two months off to rest before the grueling, 82-game season begins.
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