The Los Angeles Clippers are one loss away from blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2020 playoffs.

The Clippers franchise has never been to the conference finals. Most pundits thought they were well on their way to ending that drought after the team won Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead over Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

However, in typical Clippers fashion, the team choked Games 5 and 6 away and are now under immense pressure to win Game 7. Los Angeles fans are having déjà vu, as this series looks a lot like the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets. Doc Rivers' group, led by Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, had a 3-1 lead over James Harden and the Rockets before blowing the series and losing.

With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the way, Clippers supporters thought the choking days were over. Sure, the team can still win Game 7 since they have the best player in the series in Leonard, but if Los Angeles loses, there will likely be big changes this offseason, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

“If the Clippers lose the series, there is going to be a lot of fallout,” Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast. “It would be a historic disappointment. Kawhi and Paul George have one year left on their contracts. That's going to be a part of the fallout.”

With Windhorst's comments in mind, we take a look at three roster-shaking moves that could happen if the Clippers lose Game 7 to the Nuggets.

1. Let Montrezl Harrell walk in free agency

Montrezl Harrell becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Fresh off of winning the 2020 Sixth Man of the Year Award, the energetic big man is likely looking to get paid handsomely.

Before the 2020 playoffs started, multiple reports stated Los Angeles has every intention of re-signing Harrell. However, that could change since Trez has struggled in the postseason.

Entering the do-or-die showdown, Harrell is averaging 9.7 points and 2.9 rebounds for the Clippers in 18.1 minutes per game in the postseason. He's getting picked on by the Nuggets on the defensive end, as Denver is attacking Harrell in the pick-and-roll seemingly every minute he's on the floor.

Game 1 of the Nuggets-Clippers series is the only contest Harrell has had a positive plus-minus rating. He has been awful against Jokic, so much so that some Los Angeles fans want Joakim Noah to see some minutes in Game 7.

If the Nuggets pull off the impossible and erase their second straight 3-1 series deficit — this time against the mighty Clippers — Harrell's days in Clipper Land could be over.

2. Fire Doc Rivers

Let's start off by saying the odds of this happening are very, very slim. Doc Rivers is beloved by his players and the front office and he's widely regarded as one of the top coaches in the game.

However, Rivers' playoff history — other than his lone championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics — is pretty suspect.

Related NewsArticle continues below
LA Clippers’ 3 best options for No. 30 pick in 2025 NBA Draft
LA Clippers’ 3 best options for No. 30 pick in 2025 NBA Draft
Featured image Nic Batum
Clippers’ Nicolas Batum reveals upcoming retirement plan

Entering Game 7 against the Nuggets, Rivers is 27-31 in the playoffs with the Clippers. He has never led the team to the conference finals and the club is one loss away from choking under Rivers again.

The Clippers should have won this series in five games, but Rivers has been outcoached by Michael Malone in the past couple of games.

Moreover, Leonard's trainer, Clint Parks, has been very critical of Rivers in this Nuggets series, so it's fair to wonder if Leonard feels the same way, though it's doubtful since Kawhi is a pretty low-maintenance guy.

If the Clippers blow the series, owner Steve Ballmer has to seriously think about firing Rivers. Doc has been in Los Angeles since 2013 and the team has failed to meet expectations year after year.

3. Trade Lou Williams and Landry Shamet for Derrick Rose

The Clippers need a legitimate point guard running the offense and Derrick Rose is the perfect guy for the job.

Los Angeles had a chance to acquire Rose from the Detroit Pistons at the 2020 trade deadline, but the team didn't have any first-round picks to send to Detroit. One NBA exec who to spoke to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report back in July said Rose would have made the Clippers the favorite to win it all.

In the playoffs, you need guys who can score without the use of screens and the reliance of getting to the free-throw line. That is Rose in a nutshell, as he averaged 18.1 points for the Pistons in 2019-20 while only getting to the free-throw line 2.8 times per game.

Rose is a better driver, passer and finisher at the rim than Williams. The open looks Leonard and George would get playing alongside Rose would be night and day compared to the contested shots they are currently taking against the Nuggets.