The LA Clippers’ decision to trade Blake Griffin (along with Brice Johnson and Willie Reed) to the Pistons had fans lost and confused. The return for Griffin was Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a 2018 first-round pick and a 2019 second-rounder. The brains of this trade included Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, and front office adviser Jerry West.
The first and foremost question for this trade was “which team came out on top after the deal?” Willie Reed received a six-game suspension for a domestic violence charge from August and was then traded to the Chicago Bulls for Jameer Nelson. Brice Johnson was also traded by Detroit along with a future second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for James Ennis. These moves showed that Detroit’s interest was solely in Blake Griffin. The problem is, they gave up too much for a 30-year-old and injury-prone forward. The Pistons’ hope for Blake Griffin is that he will provide a dangerous frontcourt mate alongside Andre Drummond, leading them deep into the playoffs.
The Pistons' problems
The problem with the Pistons' hopes for Griffin is that he will likely suffer another injury sooner or later and could even miss games when the NBA playoffs come around as he has done in the past. The other issue with Detroit acquiring Griffin is that they also have to pick up his enormous contract, five years, $171.1 million dollars. It made sense for the Clippers to sign him for the absurd amount, as they decided to build a team around him that was going to be ready for a playoff run in the 2017-18 season. However, injuries struck the Clippers like the bubonic plague, and all starters except for DeAndre Jordan missed at least 20 games. Griffin's lump sum of missed games before the trade deadline was likely a big factor in the front office's decision to make the trade. The franchise decided that they were sick of the injuries and that Blake Griffin was just not meant to lead this Clippers team, so when the Pistons announced that Avery Bradley was on the trading block, they spoke up. Perhaps they got a little too excited when Blake Griffin was thrown on the table though, causing them to give up much more than Griffin is actually worth. Tobias Harris, for instance, was doing no wrong for the team but was a necessary piece in the deal to receive Griffin.
The Clippers received a scoring forward in Tobias Harris, a defensive guard in Avery Bradley, the 7-foot-3 giant Boban Marjanovic, as well as the previously mentioned future picks. While the team lost their best player and team captain, they clearly came out of the trade on top. Fans are saddened more for the sentimental loss than worried about the team's ability to win games. More importantly, fans can now be even more excited for what lies ahead for the Clippers franchise. This brings us to the topic question: Are the Clippers putting together a future dynasty, or is this just another standard rebuild? In other words, what is the potential for this new Clippers roster? The “Lob City” era of Clippers basketball is over. Chris Paul was traded during the past offseason for a bundle of players including a pick that landed Danilo Gallinari. Blake Griffin is wearing a Pistons uniform and DeAndre Jordan's future whereabouts are unknown as he reportedly denied a recent contract extension from the team. This new era of Clippers basketball relies on defense, ball movement, and the ability to toss aside your pride. All three of those traits have been absent from Clippers basketball for years and undermined by ego-filled players such Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and even DeAndre Jordan now.
It's a completely different Clippers team
Just three players on the current Clippers roster were present last season: Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson, and DeAndre Jordan. The team even made the conscious decision to revoke Doc Rivers of his GM position leaving him only concerned with coaching. Without the removal of Doc Rivers from the front office, the changes to the Clippers roster in the past year wouldn’t be possible, and more former Celtics players (sorry Paul Pierce) would likely find themselves on the Clippers. Doc Rivers had a style of signing players based on their past, not their future or how they complement each others’ playing styles. So long as the Clippers relied on Chris Paul and Blake Griffin for the majority of the offensive load, and Doc Rivers for every team decision both on the court and in the front office, the team wasn't making it past the second round, and they weren't preparing for the future. Now, new and younger faces on the Clippers roster are looking to lead this team past the second round, but when will that happen?
When will the rebuild results come
LA's rebuild likely won't take long, as they are not far from making the playoffs with their current players. The current roster could work hard and slide into at least the eighth seed, but they probably aren't concerned with a playoff run this season. The wildcard in the rebuild is DeAndre Jordan's future on the team. He has been on the trading block since the Summer, with none of the rumored trades going through. Although DeAndre Jordan has a $24 million dollar player option, he reportedly denied an even larger extension according to Jerry West. If Jordan's uninterested attitude continues, this will come as a pretense for him signing with a new team in the offseason. Apparently, other teams really aren't interested in a center limited to blocks, lobs, and rebounds. The new, ideal NBA center can shoot threes and break ankles, both of which are things DeAndre stays far, far away from. Doc Rivers has even prepared for a potential DeAndre-less lineup by playing Montrezl Harrell at the center position since the Blake Griffin trade. While it would have been nice for the Clippers to get another huge return in a trade involving one of their former core-three players, not signing DeAndre Jordan this Summer would leave them with enough cap space to chase free agents such as Demarcus Cousins, Paul George, LeBron James, and Wesley Matthews. Should the Clippers land an All-Star in the offseason, they will likely be right back in playoff contention next season, making this “rebuild” more of a “revamp”. Unlike other teams rebuilding such as the Kings, Lakers, 76ers, Bulls, Magic, and Suns (probably missed a few teams) the Clippers are not waiting for teenagers to tap into their potential. The funny thing is, the Clippers are not without young players either.
The Clippers future
Austin Rivers, Tobias Harris, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Tyrone Wallace, Jawun Evans and Sindarius Thornwell are all 25 or younger and most of them are experiencing career-best seasons. The Clippers now have two 1st-round and four 2nd-round picks in the 2018 draft, meaning even more young talent will be joining the team soon. The Clippers' current rebuilding pace proves that you don't have to be a dramatically terrible team begging for the last few seeds in your conference to work on the future of your franchise. Many LA fans have started using the phrase “trust Jerry West” regarding roster decisions such as parting with Blake Griffin. West likely appreciates the support, and we can't wait to see what he has in store come free agency as the front office deals with unrestricted players Wesley Johnson, DeAndre Jordan, Austin Rivers and Milos Teodosic. DeAndre Jordan has been described as a wild card in this rebuilding breakdown of the LA Clippers, but there is another huge decision to be made.
What to do about Austin Rivers
There is nothing wrong with Austin Rivers. In fact, despite injury after injury this season, he has been working to be the most improved player in the league. The Clippers would be smart to include him in the future of their franchise, but the team is currently stocked full of guards who should be in the starting lineup. Tyrone Wallace, Avery Bradley, and Milos Teodosic can all hold down the guard position. Patrick Beverley's season-costing injury has opened up the starting point guard position, which is currently being filled by Austin Rivers. The LA Clippers' starting guard positions will have a lot of competition should the team sign both Avery Bradley and Austin Rivers back to the roster this Summer. Rivers is the right choice for at least one of the two guard positions, but it will take the careful observation of Doc Rivers to decide which guards play best with the rest of the team at certain times. Lou Williams has made it clear that he is fine with and even prefers to come off of the bench for the team and signed an unselfish 3-year $24 million dollar extension.
In conclusion
The Clippers are rebuilding, it is just less extreme than some other teams. They could contend in the playoffs sooner rather than later but should make careful decisions regarding all of their players but especially DeAndre Jordan, Austin Rivers, and Avery Bradley. The franchise won the Blake Griffin trade at the deadline as well as the Chris Paul trade during the offseason, especially when you consider how many times they failed to lead the team past the second round. Whenever championships are not being won or even competed for, changes are necessary for teams. The L.A. Clippers are no different than the rest of the NBA's teams that are looking to build a new and more effective roster. Fans and analysts alike should look forward to seeing what Jerry West and the rest of the Clippers front office builds for the future of this team.
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