<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/clippers-news-paul-georges-surprising-drew-league-revelation-amid-strong-hype.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers star Paul George’s surprising Drew League revelation amid strong hype</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-06T21:32:38-07:00">August 6th, 9:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-06T21:32:38-07:00">August 6th, 9:32pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It has been a minute since Los Angeles Clippers superstar Paul George <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-paul-george-following-in-lebron-james-footsteps-with-first-drew-league-appearance-after-8-years/">announced</a> his intention to follow in LeBron James’ footsteps this summer by making his own appearance in the Drew League. The pro-am league is now nearing its conclusion but unfortunately, we have yet to get a glimpse of PG in the Drew.</p><p>George himself recently addressed his delayed appearance, and apparently, he’s no longer going to make it out. According to the seven-time All-Star, his busy schedule has prevented him from being able to suit up for this year’s games (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1556041480514416640">Tomer Azarly</a> of ClutchPoints):</p><blockquote>“Nah, I’m not playing this year,” George said. “I tried to get around to it, I just had a lot of stuff coming up every weekend so I ain’t have a chance to make it to the Drew this year.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sounds like Paul George isn’t gonna make it out to the Drew League this year.</p><p>“Nah, I’m not playing this year. I tried to get around to it, I just had a lot of stuff coming up every weekend so I ain’t have a chance to make it to the Drew this year.” <a href="https://t.co/7wSyWcLxtC">pic.twitter.com/7wSyWcLxtC</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1556041480514416640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It would have been great to see George test his talents against some of the top pros and amateurs in the nation. However, it just wasn’t to be. It sounds like the Clippers forward really tried to make his schedule work, but the stars just wouldn’t align, so to speak.</p><p>Be that as it may, it shouldn’t be long before we see him again on the basketball court. The new season is fast approaching and it’s clear that PG has been putting in the work to get ready for 2022-23. The Clippers have a lot to prove this coming season, and it seems like Paul George and Co. are ready to take on the challenge ahead.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers star Paul George’s surprising Drew League revelation amid strong hype

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Kendrick-Perkins-Kawhi-Leonard-Clippers-LeBron-James-Lakers-Stephen-Curry-Warriors-Jayson-Tatum-Celtics.jpeg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Kawhi Leonard, Clippers are winners of 2022 NBA offseason, per Kendrick Perkins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-04T17:46:45-07:00">August 4th, 5:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-04T17:47:10-07:00">August 4th, 5:47pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his sixth season as the LA Clippers beat writer for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content below:</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/clippers/" rel="noopener">LA Clippers</a>‘ 2022 offseason was eventful yet somewhat quiet at the same time. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/kendrick-perkins/" rel="noopener">Kendrick Perkins</a> believes what they did has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/kawhi-leonard/" rel="noopener">Kawhi Leonard</a>‘s club as the winners of the summer.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>All this is why <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1555283092809531392" rel="noopener">Kendrick Perkins believes the Clippers</a> are the winners of the 2022 offseason.</p><p>“When you look at the Los Angeles Clippers, they won this offseason and I don’t even think it’s close,” <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1555283092809531392" rel="noopener">Kendrick Perkins said</a> 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.</p><p>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+.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"When you look at the Los Angeles Clippers, they won this offseason and I don't even think it's close."<a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KendrickPerkins</a> believes Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's squad won the summer 👀<a href="https://t.co/tRlYo9COU2">pic.twitter.com/tRlYo9COU2</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1555283092809531392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>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.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers are winners of 2022 NBA offseason, per Kendrick Perkins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Paul-George-Reggie-Jackson-Clippers-hug.jpeg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Reggie Jackson planned to retire before Paul George, Clippers saved him</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-03T16:16:39-07:00">August 3rd, 4:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-03T17:32:15-07:00">August 3rd, 5:32pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his sixth season as the LA Clippers beat writer for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content below:</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/reggie-jackson/" rel="noopener">Reggie Jackson</a> hasn’t been quiet about his feelings towards <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/paul-george/" rel="noopener">Paul George</a> and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/clippers/" rel="noopener">LA Clippers</a>, often expressing how grateful he is for the organization. In speaking with campers on Wednesday, Jackson did it again.</p><p>Paul George held his annual camp in Southern California, where he had Reggie Jackson and some of their friends as guests. George spoke and gave advice to campers, but it was Jackson who reminded everyone not to let anyone take the joy out of something you love to do.</p><p>“When I was in Detroit, for myself, it was fun,” <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1554951084979863552" rel="noopener">Jackson said</a>. “The organization wasn’t… They didn’t have a lot of success. We made the playoffs when I got there. At the same time, I went through a lot of injuries. So like I said, going through the doubt, the naysayers, the criticism from fans. It really started making me question myself. It actually made me to the point where… Hopefully… Don’t let anybody ever do this to you in life, but take the fun out of the things that you love to do. Because I really was gonna retire.”</p><p>Jackson played nearly five seasons with the Detroit Pistons from 2015 to 2019. He signed a five-year, $80 million deal after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder, but struggled with injuries and inconsistencies.</p><p>He agreed to a buyout with the Pistons at age 29, unsure what his future would hold. He was then claimed by the LA Clippers, who were certainly influenced by the recommendations of Paul George.</p><p>“My lifeline, the reason y’all see me so happy is my brother here saved me,” <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1554951084979863552" rel="noopener">Reggie Jackson continued</a>. “He called me, told me they were gonna come get me. We laugh about it to this day because I actually blew him off. He was like, ‘yeah, we’re gonna get you.’ I was like, ‘yeah whatever.’ I was gonna retire. Like in my mind, I feel good. So he came and got me and we didn’t have the best year the first year I got there. I was able to kind of get healthy. I was playing with better players so I didn’t have to play as much.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reggie Jackson at Paul George's camp:</p><p>"It really started making me question myself [late in Detroit tenure]… Don't let anybody ever do this to you in life, take the fun out of the things that you love to do. I really was gonna retire. My lifeline, my brother here saved me." <a href="https://t.co/06l7yEonp1">pic.twitter.com/06l7yEonp1</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1554951084979863552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jackson signed a two-year, $21.59 million deal with the Clippers following a strong 2021 playoff run. He didn’t start Games 1 and 2 of the first round against the Dallas Mavericks, which the Clippers both dropped.</p><p>Jackson then started the net 17 playoff games for the Clippers, averaging 18.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 49.6 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent from three.</p><p>In total, Jackson averaged 17.8 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.2 rebounds on a 62.6 True Shooting Percentage during the 2021 postseason. <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/2022/8/3/23290340/nba-clippers-free-agency-reggie-jackson-decision" rel="noopener">Clips Nation’s Justin Russo</a> compiled a list showing just how incredible Jackson’s playoff run was:</p><blockquote>To truly understand how incredible of a postseason that was, you have to peel back some layers. Among all the players and postseason runs in NBA history, Jackson’s particular collective line had only been seen 7 other times: LeBron James (2019-20 and 2016-17), Stephen Curry (2018-19 and 2016-17), Jamal Murray (2019-20), James Harden (2014-15) and Kevin Durant (2011-12).</blockquote><p>Reggie Jackson, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard will lead a healthy Clippers team to start the 2022-23 NBA season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-reggie-jackson-exclusive-on-john-wall-kawhi-leonard-2022-23-season/" rel="noopener">In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints</a> this summer, Jackson says he just wants an opportunity to be healthy and showcase what this team can do.</p><p>“I think we’ve had some special years,” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-reggie-jackson-exclusive-on-john-wall-kawhi-leonard-2022-23-season/" rel="noopener">Reggie Jackson told ClutchPoints</a>. “The last couple years have been fun. The front office has been doing a great job of acclimating as much as time as we can. I think we have the best coach in the league, like I always say, in Tyronn Lue, so he’s gonna find a way to make it all work. I think when things are all good, we all have one goal in mind and that’s to try to be the ones that’s the last ones standing.</p><p>“We just gotta stay healthy. Stay healthy, let time run it’s course, and we’ll see where we’re at at the end. I just want to have a great year where guys stay healthy. As long as we can do that, then I can live with the results.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Reggie Jackson planned to retire before Paul George, Clippers saved him

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/X-way-too-early-bold-LA-predictions-for-2022-23-NBA-season.jpeg"></figure><h1>3 way too early bold LA Clippers predictions for 2022-23 NBA season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-03T14:33:34-07:00">August 3rd, 2:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-03T16:51:49-07:00">August 3rd, 4:51pm</time><address><a>Sean Barnard</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In some regards, the 2021-22 season was a rebuilding year for the Clippers. The franchise was without its two main stars for the bulk of the season with Kawhi Leonard unable to suit up at all. The team still had some relative success and ended with a 42-40 record which put them in the 8th seed in the West. A positive Covid test from Paul George held him out of the play-in game and they were unable to advance past the Pelicans.</p><p>For the most part, the biggest move of the offseason was allowing the roster to heal. Expectations are certainly higher this season with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard set to return to the court for a full season. The franchise also made news by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-john-wall-officially-agrees-to-2-year-13-2-million-deal-with-la/">adding John Wall</a> this offseason. There are still a few months before the season is set to tip off but here are some early expectations for the Clippers in 2022-23.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kawhi Leonard looking jacked 💪🏽👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/LAClippers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAClippers</a>) <a href="https://t.co/Dzso0LEu6m">pic.twitter.com/Dzso0LEu6m</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1554277549982724096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2>3 way too early bold LA Clippers predictions for 2022-23 NBA season</h2><p><b>Brandon Boston becomes a legitimate bench weapon</b></p><p>It has been an interesting start to the professional career of BJ Boston. He was ranked the <a href="http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/230221/bj-boston">7th overall prospect</a> by ESPN in the 2020 high school recruiting class and committed to Kentucky for his lone year of college. Boston did not reach his lofty expectations at Kentucky and averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. He also shot just 35,5% from the field and 30% on three-point attempts. This led to Boston falling to the second round where he was selected with the 51st overall pick.</p><p>The 20-year-old had some <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-brandon-boston-jr-leaves-mark-on-lac-history-on-epic-27-point-night/">intriguing flashes</a> in his rookie season but still has to fully put the pieces together. Expect him to improve off his limited minutes and become a key part of the second unit. During the 2021-22 season, Boston averaged 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in his 14.9 minutes per game. If Boston can improve his efficiency he could grow into a key rotational piece for Los Angeles. Look for him to take some strides forward this season and make a more notable impact.</p><p><b>Kawhi Leonard and Paul George average 50+ points per game</b></p><p>There is a real argument that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the best duo in the entire NBA. While the lack of games played last season may have resulted in people forgetting, expect the two to send a reminder of just how talented they are this season. Both Leonard and PG are top 20 talents across the league and impressive two-way players. The Clippers’ ceiling as a team will be drastically dependent on their ability to produce and the two should be relied on to deliver.</p><p>Over the two seasons he spent with the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard has averaged 26 points per game. Paul George has averaged 22.9 points per game during his three seasons in Los Angeles and raked up 24.3 points per game last year. While the Clippers have some scoring threats behind them as well, the offense will certainly be made to capiliaze on their skillsets. Expect the two to produce at a high-level this season and average a combined 50+ points per game.</p><p><b>Clippers win the championship</b></p><p>If last season was the rebuilding year this should be the one where everything comes together. The Los Angeles Clippers check just about every box you look for in a playoff contender and will be expected to be major title contenders. They are  have the fourth shortest odds to win a title next year on FanDuel as an indication of this. The Clippers have the top-end talent, well-fitting role players, and an impressive coach at the helm.</p><p>There is a great deal of uncertainty based on the lack of games that many of the players on the Clippers roster have played in recent years. Kawhi Leonard obviously missed all of last season. John Wall sat out all of last season and has played just 113 games since the start of the 2017-18 season. Paul George played in just 31 games last season and has not played over 55 games in a season since 2018-19. Regardless, each of these guys has such a high-level of top-end talent that the rest of the league should be put on notice.</p><p>Expect the Clippers to go through some growing pains early on in the season but to find their stride. Led by Kawhi Leonard they have a group of guys with previous playoff success that are capable of winning. There are a number of intriguing contenders in the NBA this season, but the Clippers deserve to be right at the top of the list of title threats.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 way too early bold LA Clippers predictions for 2022-23 NBA season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Clippers-news-Robert-Covington-goes-full-LeBron-James-in-pro-am-explosion.jpg"></figure><h1>WATCH: Clippers’ Robert Covington goes full LeBron James in pro-am explosion</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-01T21:37:07-07:00">August 1st, 9:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-01T21:37:41-07:00">August 1st, 9:37pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA fans have been craving any type of basketball action amid what feels like a very long offseason thus far. Thankfully, the basketball gods have blessed us with the pro-am circuit, which has produced more than a few eye-popping performances from our favorite players. Right now, it’s Los Angeles Clippers veteran Robert Covington who has come out with his own highlight reel following an epic, LeBron James-like performance in the Nashville Pro-Am over the weekend.</p><p>RoCo absolutely dominated his pro-am game, and there were enough highlights to produce a “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cgs54LKvBMl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=a7f2789e-39dc-482e-ba06-4ac2fda1759b">whole movie</a>:”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cgs54LKvBMl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ryan Givens (@ryangivens_)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>In case you missed it, the LeBron James reference comes from the Los Angeles Lakers superstar recently deciding to put on a show in the Drew League. The King had the basketball world buzzing, and there have been a handful of players from the NBA that have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-trae-young-john-collins-following-in-lebron-footsteps-with-drew-league-appearance/">followed his lead</a> into various pro-am leagues.</p><p>One other member of the Clippers has already confirmed his intention to suit up in the Drew League as well. Paul George already confirmed his upcoming cameo, and we should definitely expect a newsworthy performance from another NBA star dominating in the pro-ams.</p><p>As for his part, Robert Covington was quite the revelation for the Clippers after joining the team in the middle of last season. The 31-year-old averaged <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/covinro01.html">10.4 points</a>, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks, while also connecting on 2.1 triples per game at a 45.0-percent clip. More of the same is going to be expected of him in 2022-23.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

WATCH: Clippers’ Robert Covington goes full LeBron James in pro-am explosion

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Kawhi-Leonard-1-Kawhi-Leonard-2-Clippers.jpeg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard looks jacked in newly released footage</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-01T18:59:18-07:00">August 1st, 6:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-01T18:59:52-07:00">August 1st, 6:59pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his sixth season as the LA Clippers beat writer for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content below:</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>August is peak NBA offseason, but the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/clippers/" rel="noopener">LA Clippers</a> are hoping to keep their fans on the edge of their seats. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/kawhi-leonard/" rel="noopener">Kawhi Leonard</a> isn’t on social media and is rarely seen in public, so footage of the Clippers star always gets fans excited.</p><p>On Monday, the Clippers posted a series of photos of Leonard and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/reggie-jackson/" rel="noopener">Reggie Jackson</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CguuBYRP09v/" rel="noopener">on their Instagram page</a>, as well as a video of Leonard walking. In the video, <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1554275884521009153" rel="noopener">Kawhi Leonard looked particularly jacked</a>, to say the least.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="ca">Kawhi Leonard 👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/LAClippers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAClippers</a>) <a href="https://t.co/GaRtEy3tWN">pic.twitter.com/GaRtEy3tWN</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1554275884521009153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In additional to the clip, Kawhi Leonard was seen working out with fellow Clippers teammates in the gym on UC Santa Barbara’s campus. Paul George, Terance Mann, Ivica Zubac, Reggie Jackson, John Wall, Amir Coffey, and Jason Preston could all be seen working out with Leonard on Saturday.  </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">You never who will be in town👀👀👀👀 <a href="https://t.co/ZknanRYhjU">pic.twitter.com/ZknanRYhjU</a></p><p>— UC Santa Barbara Women’s Basketball (@UCSB_WBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/UCSB_WBB/status/1553540657494380544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Kawhi Leonard has been actively working out and preparing for the 2022-23 NBA regular season. His return to the basketball court is expected when the season starts, but his status will likely be monitored and updated throughout training camp.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Clippers star Kawhi Leonard putting in work at UCSD this morning 👀</p><p>(h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/TravoWatson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TravoWatson</a>) <a href="https://t.co/5z9KPHWCc8">pic.twitter.com/5z9KPHWCc8</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1540409918460612608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">From the high school days in empty gyms just trying to make a way for their families this runs deep. Year 10 and year 12 on the way so damn proud of them. Nothing like being in the lab with the family 🤙🏽🏁. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CPSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CPSA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TMC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TMC</a> <a href="https://t.co/l8qDWgY06T">pic.twitter.com/l8qDWgY06T</a></p><p>— Clint Parks (@ClintParks05) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClintParks05/status/1535331182820270083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The only sure thing is that the Clippers will want to bring Leonard back slowly and will rest their star throughout the season, ensuring his health is the number one priority.</p><p>Leonard last played on an NBA court on June 14, 2021, in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Leonard suffered the torn left ACL and underwent surgery to repair the ACL on July 13, almost a full month later.</p><p>There was mild optimism that Kawhi Leonard could return at some point during the 2021-22 season, but the Clippers were eliminated in the play-in tournament and the two-time NBA Finals MVP never had a chance.</p><p>Following the NBA Draft on June 23, Clippers president Lawrence Frank said Kawhi Leonard has been making significant progress in his recovery the ACL surgery, but was not playing five-on-five basketball yet.</p><p>“Yeah, he continues to do great,” <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1540308030939533312?s=20&amp;t=ntjVJtR4Bomq3l3RIoljww" rel="noopener">said Lawrence Frank</a>. “He’s maniacal in his work ethic. It’s fun to see. I’m glad we can afford the light bill because he’s putting in the hours. But yeah, he’s doing great, and he continues to progress, and it’s great seeing him on the court.</p><p>“I think he’s on course where he’s developing really well. But like five-on-five isn’t something I think that he’s doing at this point.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lawrence Frank: "[Kawhi] continues to do great. He's maniacal in his work ethic… I'm glad we can afford the light bill."<a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewGreif?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndrewGreif</a>: "5-on-5 yet?"</p><p>"No… I think he's on course, he's developing really well. But 5-on-5 isn't something I think that he's doing at this point." <a href="https://t.co/En2V80kTxX">pic.twitter.com/En2V80kTxX</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1540308030939533312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Once Leonard does return, the plan is to be extremely cautious with both him and Paul George. The Clippers have significant depth on this team, and it’s something head coach Tyronn Lue plans to use to ensure everyone is kept as healthy and fresh as possible heading into the late stages of the season.</p><p>The NBA’s regular season schedule is set to be released in mid-August, which will give the Clippers time to create a plan for Leonard while media members and fans try to predict what that plan will look like.</p><p><a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=nba-finals" rel="noopener">According to FanDuel</a>, the Clippers have the fourth highest odds to win the 2023 NBA Championship at +700, behind only the Boston Celtics (+450), Milwaukee Bucks (+550), and Golden State Warriors (+650).</p><p>If healthy, there’s no reason the Clippers don’t plan through at least late May as they pursue their first NBA Championship in franchise history.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard looks jacked in newly released footage

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Paul-George-Kawhi-Leonard-Draymond-Green-Clippers-Warriors.jpeg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Clippers should monitor Draymond Green situation with Warriors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-01T13:18:21-07:00">August 1st, 1:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-01T14:03:18-07:00">August 1st, 2:03pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his sixth season as the LA Clippers beat writer for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content below:</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The easiest thing for the Golden State Warriors to do this summer is agree to big extensions with the players who are eligible for extensions. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/draymond-green/" rel="noopener">Draymond Green</a>, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/andrew-wiggins/" rel="noopener">Andrew Wiggins</a>, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/jordan-poole/" rel="noopener">Jordan Poole</a>, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/klay-thompson/" rel="noopener">Klay Thompson</a> all become extension eligible on August 3rd, and all would love to get paid and remain with the Warriors. According to a recent report from <a href="https://theathletic.com/3452144/2022/07/27/warriors-contracts-nba-free-agents/" rel="noopener">The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson and Anthony Slater</a>, that’s simply not a realistic expectation.</p><p>The tax bill from a team paying <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/stephen-curry/" rel="noopener">Stephen Curry</a>, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Jordan Poole max or even near-max money would be astronomical.</p><p>Draymond Green’s decline-and-extend at the max would mean declining the $27.5 million player option for the 2023-24 season and signing a four-year extension worth $164 million. Andrew Wiggins’ extension would reportedly have to start just under the $40.3 million. Jordan Poole is expected to garner a contract along the levels of Anfernee Simons (four-years, $100 million) and Jalen Brunson (four-years, $104 million), <a href="https://theathletic.com/3452144/2022/07/27/warriors-contracts-nba-free-agents/" rel="noopener">per The Athletic</a>. Klay Thompson is <a href="https://theathletic.com/3452144/2022/07/27/warriors-contracts-nba-free-agents/" rel="noopener">reportedly the least likely Warrior</a> to get an extension, especially since he has two years left with no options.</p><p>It’s a bit hard to predict who the Warriors value most out of this group. Andrew Wiggins was easily their second best player during the 2022 championship run. His playoff numbers didn’t jump off the page (16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block per game), but Wiggins came up with crucial buckets while playing fantastic defense on Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum. Wiggins is only 27 years old and will be entering his prime, making him the most likely priority for the Warriors.</p><p>Jordan Poole showed flashes of being able to carry the offensive workload while Steph Curry was out. Curry went down early in the March 16th game against the Celtics and was forced to miss the final 12 games of the regular season. In that 13-game span including the game he suffered his injury, Poole averaged 26 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.</p><p>As Curry was getting back into the swing of things in the first round of the playoffs, Poole averaged 28.7 points and 4.7 assists on 66.7 percent shooting from the field and 59.1 percent from three in Games 1-3 against the Denver Nuggets.</p><p>Klay Thompson is the second half of the Splash Bros, and the Warriors wouldn’t dare separate Steph Curry from Thompson. Now, one could also say the same thing about the sharpshooting duo and Draymond Green, but Green is a bit of an interesting case.</p><p>Green is owed $25.8 million in the 2022-23 season and has a player option for $27.6 million in the year after that. A decline and extend at the four-year max would pay 32-year old Draymond Green approximately 41 million from 2023-27. There’s <a href="https://theathletic.com/3452144/2022/07/27/warriors-contracts-nba-free-agents/" rel="noopener">no expectation that Green will be offered</a> the 4-year, $164 million deal he’s reportedly believing to be worth.</p><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/warriors-news-draymond-greens-message-to-steph-curry-klay-thompson-after-4th-nba-title.jpeg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><p>In addition to that, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3452144/2022/07/27/warriors-contracts-nba-free-agents/" rel="noopener">The Athletic reports</a> that while Green wants to continue his NBA career with Golden State, he’s not eliminating looking at other options.</p><blockquote>“While his desire is to remain with the Warriors, Green is said to be willing to explore his outside options to get the kind of contract he wants. That’s a risk Warriors’ management appears willing to take. Green playing this season with a chip on his shoulder, motivated by proving to the league he deserves a max contact, could have a positive on-court impact.”</blockquote><p>All this leads me to say that, while <b>incredibly unlikely</b>, the LA Clippers are a team that should monitor the Warriors’ situation, specifically when it comes to Draymond Green. This isn’t to say the Warriors have made him, or any of the four guys, available nor that the Clippers are pursuing him, but they should certainly watch and see how the negotiations play out.</p><p>In actuality, Green probably has the most value on the Warriors. It’s fair to say that the Warriors’ system has been successful because of Green and Green has been successful because of the Warriors’ system. Without each other, there’s a clear dropoff. When Green was unavailable to play, the Warriors clearly suffered on the court. It’s tough to make a case that there’s a player in more unique of a situation than Green is. That’s ultimately why I believe the Warriors and Green will meet somewhere in the middle on a new deal, not to mention it would probably anger a lot of Warriors fans to see him traded.</p><p>The Clippers have arguably the deepest roster in the NBA. There are guys on that team who absolutely deserve minutes and would likely be starters on different teams. Unfortunately, head coach Tyronn Lue may not always find the minutes for certain guys. On a team like this, that’s had to deal with as many injuries as they have, depth is not necessarily a bad thing. The Clippers’ plan for the 2022-23 season is to play it incredibly safe with their older players, mixing and matching lineups throughout the regular season.</p><p>The increased depth also means they’re a team that can afford to trade a few guys if it means they believe they’re getting back a legitimate piece to a championship puzzle. We all know the rumors that involve Clippers players on social media aren’t coming from the Clippers side. Nonetheless, two players have repeatedly had their names thrown around in trade rumors over the last year: Marcus Morris and Luke Kennard. It may not have led anywhere, but there certainly appears to be smoke in the Clippers at least gauging what they can get for the two players. Both had solid seasons in 2021-22, and I believe will be big pieces to the championship puzzle in 2022-23.</p><p>Clippers President Lawrence Frank effectively shut down trade scenarios involving Luke Kennard on NBA Draft night, saying there’s ‘zero truth’ to any of the trade rumors involving him. The team has also been incredibly complimentary of Marcus Morris, a guy they traded for back in 2020 that was thought to be the missing piece.</p><p>If you’ve heard me on podcasts or read my work in the past, you’ll know that I’m of the belief that the Clippers should run it back with the roster they have to start the season. They can then take a serious look at where they stand around the February trade deadline. If healthy, this team should be given the opportunity to finish the job in April, May, and hopefully June. There is a belief around the league, however, that the Clippers will eventually trade one or two of their guys because of the absurd depth they have.</p><p>As mentioned above, Draymond Green is set to earn $25.8 million in the 2022-23 season with a player option for the 2023-24 season worth $27.6 million.</p><p>The Warriors are going to be a tax-paying team no matter what they do, so they’re able to take back 125 percent of the total salary they’re sending out, plus $100,000. That means the Warriors can bring back a total of $33,258,086 in a trade for Green. The Clippers have a number of players that would fit into that $33.26 million number. A trade involving Marcus Morris and Luke Kennard would, in theory, work for both sides. If the Clippers want to add in a young player like a Brandon Boston, Jason Preston, or even a Terance Mann, it would technically still work contractually (although at that point, it’s probably reaching  overpay status).</p><p>Kennard finished the 2021-22 season as the best three-point shooter in the NBA. Morris was second in three-point shooting the year before that. Both have proven to be excellent complimentary pieces around on a team with championship contending team. One would imagine the pair intrigues the Warriors due to their low individual salaries and their skillset.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Luke Kennard has set a new career high for three-pointers made in a half with 6 in the first half tonight.</p><p>📊 19 PTS | 75.0 % FG | 85.7 % 3FG <a href="https://t.co/xM8jWvl85O">pic.twitter.com/xM8jWvl85O</a></p><p>— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/1494533347883708417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>A trade for Green, who shares the same agency as Tyronn Lue and Brandon Boston Jr., would be with the intention of keeping him in Los Angeles long-term. Would it be the max deal he’s reportedly desiring, however? That’s the biggest question. The second biggest question would be how much does Green have left to help the Clippers in their championship window? It’s not over yet, but the Clippers’ championship window is shrinking the older Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, 31 and 32 years of age, respectively, get.</p><p>The 2022-23 season will be the fourth season of Leonard and George together in Los Angeles. The two have the ability to opt out of the final year of their deals after the 2023-24 season and become unrestricted free agents. If the Clippers don’t, at the very least, have an NBA Finals appearance under their belt in the next year or two, it wouldn’t be surprising to see an overhaul of the roster while continuing to try and build around Leonard and George.</p><p>Trading for a four-time NBA Champion in Draymond Green would only be in an attempt to extend the championship window and bring in legitimate title experience.</p><p>During the 2021-22 season, Green averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. he shot 52.5 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three. His playoff numbers were eerily similar to his regular season numbers. But if you’re trading for Green, you’re not necessarily doing it for the front-facing numbers.</p><p>Statistically speaking, Green was once again one of the best defenders in the playoffs, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203110/defense-dash">per NBA.com/stats</a>, holding opponents to just 38.7 percent shooting on shots where he was the primary defender. Green made life hell on Jaylen Brown in the NBA Finals en route to the Warriors’ fourth NBA Championship. Brown shot 10-of-34 from the field with Green as his primary defender, including just 1-of-15 from three. He had a similar impact on Jaren Jackson Jr., Luka Doncic, and Jalen Brunson. If you watched the 2022 postseason, you noticed Green’s prowess on that end, but probably also noticed that there were few times he slipped up defensively.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Draymond Green Defense On Jaylen Brown (Game 5) <a href="https://t.co/Oh5bm1pup3">pic.twitter.com/Oh5bm1pup3</a></p><p>— ²³ (@PlayoffDraymond) <a href="https://twitter.com/PlayoffDraymond/status/1537084966298914817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><p>Green is a seven-time All Defensive Team member and the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year. He did win the award in his age 26 season, and he’s certainly lost a bit of a step six years later. Regardless, he’s still one of the premier defenders at his position and a proven winner.</p><p>Additionally, the Clippers’ roster currently does not employ a traditional backup center. Marcus Morris and Robert Covington are both expected to get small ball center minutes behind Ivica Zubac. Green is a guy who has proven he can play the center position and excel at it. He’d still be undersized, but it would give the Clippers an interesting option.</p><p>With a team as loaded offensively as the Clippers, you’re not really worried about getting offense if Draymond Green is somehow added to the mix. His unwillingness to shoot the basketball drives fans nuts, and it the trouble really lies in him not being able to resemble an offensive threat. As mentioned above, he’s certainly dropped off from what he used to be, but a 33 or 34-year old Green might be worth it simply due to his high basketball IQ, his physicality, his skillset, and his experience.</p><p>The Clippers should be a top tier contender this season if they remain healthy. They’ve got all the depth in the world and a championship head coach that’ll do whatever it takes to win. Their roster, as constructed, has more than enough to be the last team standing.</p><p>If the Clippers were to shake up their roster, however, Draymond Green is exactly the type of player and person they’d want to bring in. Whether they actually have enough to make it happen or even want to make it happen are entirely different stories.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers should monitor Draymond Green situation with Warriors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Clippers-rumors-LA-in-talks-with-Chinese-big-man-Zhou-Qi.jpg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: Clippers in talks with Chinese big man Zhou Qi</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-29T20:07:09-07:00">July 29th, 8:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-29T20:07:23-07:00">July 29th, 8:07pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It looks like the Los Angeles Clippers are not yet done looking for ways to improve the roster around Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and John Wall.</p><p>Now according to a report from the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3186893/chinese-basketball-star-zhou-qi-rumoured-nba-return-la-clippers" rel="noopener">South China Morning Post</a>, the team is in talks with Chinese big man Zhou Qi for a potential deal. Unfortunately no further details about the negotiation and its status have been revealed.</p><p>Zhou Qi remains in the NBL with the South East Melbourne Phoenix, but his future with the franchise and the league is now in question after the team reportedly hinted they are looking to replace him on their roster.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: Clippers in talks with Chinese big man Zhou Qi

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Clippers-news-Crucial-Kawhi-Leonard-update-reveals-status-of-ACL-injury.jpg"></figure><h1>Crucial Kawhi Leonard update reveals status of ACL injury with Clippers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-29T18:50:37-07:00">July 29th, 6:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-29T18:52:00-07:00">July 29th, 6:52pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kawhi Leonard is progressing well in his recovery from ACL injury, though Los Angeles Clippers fans shouldn’t expect him to be NBA-ready any time soon.</p><p>In his latest mailbag, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3454975/2022/07/29/clippers-mailbag-blake-griffin-kawhi/?source=nbatw" rel="noopener">Law Murray of The Athletic</a> shared some updates on Leonard’s recovery from his injury, highlighting that while the All-Star forward is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-recent-injury-update-will-have-la-fans-hyped/" rel="noopener">physically and mentally fine</a>, he has yet to do five-on-five work.</p><p>As Clippers president Lawrence Frank shared to Murray, though, what matters for Leonard is his status come October since it will give the team a good idea on how far along he is in his recovery and whether or not he’ll be ready for the start of the 2022-23 season.</p><p>“I was able to update Leonard’s status before the NBA Draft last month, and Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank affirmed Leonard’s positive progress the night of the draft. Everyone who has been around Leonard this offseason, both with the team and outside the team, have suggested that Leonard is physically ready for next season and is not carrying any mental angst that comes with a return from an ACL surgery,” Murray wrote.</p><p>“But we’re a long way until Leonard needs to be ready in October. Frank said that Leonard wasn’t playing five-on-five yet but the benchmark that matters is October’s preseason.”</p><p>Kawhi Leonard missed the whole 2021-22 season due to his ACL injury that needed surgery. With that, the Clippers were unable to make it to the postseason, losing in the play-in tournament.</p><p>As Leonard’s return nears, however, hopes increase that the Clippers can contend for the title once again. They added more depth to their roster with the John Wall signing, and if they can get and stay healthy, they’ll surely be tough to beat.</p><p>Here’s to hoping that Leonard doesn’t suffer any setback in his recovery. After all, the Battle of LA is definitely more exciting when he’s playing.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Crucial Kawhi Leonard update reveals status of ACL injury with Clippers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Russell-Westbrook-slapped-with-harsh-_John-Wall_-possibility-if-trade-fails-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers star Russell Westbrook slapped with harsh ‘John Wall’ possibility if trade fails</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-28T15:21:08-07:00">July 28th, 3:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-29T18:18:40-07:00">July 29th, 6:18pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-rumors-the-3-teams-involved-in-trade-talks-for-russell-westbrook-draft-capital/" rel="noopener">Trading</a> Russell Westbrook has proven to be quite a daunting challenge for the Los Angeles Lakers. This obviously has a lot to do with the gargantuan contract he currently has, with opposing teams unwilling to take on such a significant cap hit for a player like Russ.</p><p>At this point, the possibility of Westbrook staying in LA beyond this offseason is becoming increasingly feasible. It now feels like the Lakers have been left with no other choice but to start the new campaign with Russ on their roster. This isn’t exactly the most ideal scenario for LeBron James and Co. given how Westbrook’s first year with the Lakers didn’t exactly go according to plan.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>If the Lakers are unable to offload the former league MVP this summer, an anonymous NBA agent believes they should do a “John Wall” on him (via <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10043282-what-should-la-lakers-do-with-russell-westbrook-insider-opinions-vary-widely">Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report</a>):</p><blockquote>“They’re better without Russ, and he won’t come off the bench. Good luck with that. He’s going to b—h and moan. He thinks he’s the Russ of old,” the agent said. “‘John Wall’ him and take time… to know what they need before jumping in. The team can’t lose this trade, and everyone knows it. Trading just to trade is an awful mentality.”</blockquote><p>For his part, John Wall finally found a new home with the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason. It didn’t come easy for him, though, with his former team, the Houston Rockets, opting to have him sit out the entire 2021-22 season amid their inability to find a trade partner for the former All-Star.</p><p>This is what the unnamed source is suggesting for the Lakers. Instead of having him play this coming season, the agent suggests that LA would be better off if they took him out of the rotation entirely. It’s an undeniably drastic move, but if the Lakers turn out to be a better squad without Russell Westbrook, then this could actually be a workable solution to this dilemma.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers star Russell Westbrook slapped with harsh ‘John Wall’ possibility if trade fails

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Paul-George-following-in-LeBron-James_-footsteps-with-first-Drew-League-appearance-after-8-years.jpg"></figure><h1>Clipper star Paul George following in LeBron James’ footsteps with first Drew League appearance after 8 years</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-27T20:57:28-07:00">July 27th, 8:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-27T20:58:43-07:00">July 27th, 8:58pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It took LeBron James 11 years before he made his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-slams-lebron-james-haters-after-epic-drew-league-appearance/" rel="noopener">triumphant return</a> to the Drew League. Players from in and around the NBA have been following The King’s example, and this time around, it’s Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George who’s confirmed to return to the highly-popular pro-am league after an eight-year hiatus.</p><p>This comes via <a href="https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1552477752518815745">Law Murray</a> of Bleacher Report, who says that George himself revealed his plan to suit up for the Drew League in the coming days:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Paul George said tonight that he plans on returning to <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrewLeague</a> … it would be his first appearance since 2014</p><p>— Law Murray 🛢 (@LawMurrayTheNU) <a href="https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1552477752518815745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This is definitely something to look forward to for Clippers fans everywhere, particularly after George’s season was cut short by injury. The 32-year-old played just 31 games for LA last term, and he’s been working hard in the offseason to get ready for the new campaign.</p><p>It looks like George is now good to go, and his upcoming participation in the Drew League is a clear testament to this fact. At this point, there is now very little doubt, if any, as to whether or not PG will be able to start the new season for the Clippers.</p><p>Hopefully, Paul George is able to remain healthy in 2022-23. The same is true for Kawhi Leonard, who himself has also been bogged down by injury since teaming up with George in LA. With these two superstars healthy — and a stellar supporting cast around them — the Clippers are expected to be a real threat to the NBA title this coming season. These guys have a lot to prove and this might be the year that they finally do it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clipper star Paul George following in LeBron James’ footsteps with first Drew League appearance after 8 years

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Clippers-news-Terance-Mann-gets-brutally-honest-on-_rivalry_-with-Luka-Doncic.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers’ Terance Mann gets brutally honest on ‘rivalry’ with Mavs star Luka Doncic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-26T23:04:19-07:00">July 26th, 11:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-26T23:04:19-07:00">July 26th, 11:04pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Whenever the Los Angeles Clippers face off against the Dallas Mavericks, there always seems to be a little more at stake for both teams. This is without a doubt one of the emerging rivalries in the NBA, and at the center of this feud are Terance Mann and Luka Doncic.</p><p>Mann and Doncic have had their fair share of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavs-news-luka-doncics-nsfw-trash-talk-at-too-small-terance-mann-gets-him-ted-up/">confrontations</a> on the basketball court. It seems that these two players just don’t like each other very much. So much so, that some folks see their relationship as a full-on rivalry.</p><p>For his part, however, Mann was quick to play down the beef rumors. Speaking to <a href="https://www.ballysports.com/watch/vod/terance-mann-clippers-can-win-it-all-with-addition-of-wall" rel="noopener">Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports</a>, the Clippers stud revealed that his supposed “rivalry” with Luka Doncic is nothing more than their innate competitive spirit spilling over (h/t <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/terance-mann-reveals-truth-about-luka-doncic-rivalry">Joey Linn of FanNation</a>):</p><blockquote>“I wouldn’t say we’re rivals,” Mann said. “It’s all on-court stuff, fun and games. I think we’re out there making each other better. Just out there battling and getting under each other’s skin, and that’s part of the game.”</blockquote><p>It doesn’t sound like this is anything personal — at least for Mann. Whatever the case may be, these two players always seem to have something to say to each other whenever they face off on the court. While we are not aware of the full extent of their subject of discussion, I believe that it would be safe to say that these talks are not exactly very friendly in nature.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Los Angeles
Clippers NEWS

Clippers News: Get the latest Los Angeles Clippers news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

LOS ANGELES

CLIPPERS

Los AngelesClippers NEWS

Clippers News: Get the latest Los Angeles Clippers news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

LOS ANGELES

CLIPPERS

Los Angeles
Clippers NEWS