NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 reasons the Los Angeles Clippers need to blow it up

By John Buhler | Apr 30, 2017

Apr 12, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) and guard Chris Paul (3) react during a NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Kings 115-95. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 16, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 129-114. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Chris Paul is in the back-end of his prime

While it is debatable if his personality will ever translate to winning an NBA Championship, the Clippers still have a superstar at point guard in Chris Paul. He will be hitting free agency this summer, but there is almost no way that Ballmer doesn’t give him the max one last time. Paul is an all-around elite point guard, but he is without question in the back-end of his prime.

If the Clippers want to quickly rebuild around Paul and presumably center DeAndre Jordan, they’ll need to do so fast. That would entail not re-signing popular shooting guard J.J. Redick, sixth man Jamal Crawford and probably shedding the best draft pick in franchise history in power forward Blake Griffin.

For the Clippers to think about winning a championship in the next few years, it has to become undoubtedly Paul’s basketball team. Not that he needs a bigger boost to his ego, but when will the Clippers ever have another superstar as talented as he is? He was supposed to go to the city rival Los Angeles Lakers before former NBA commissioner David Stern nixed that trade between the Lakers and the then New Orleans Hornets.

Trotting out the same sorry Clippers would be a total was of Paul’s talent. If signing another All-Star level player to replace Griffin proves too costly, Los Angeles would actually be better served to have three high-end role players for the price of Griffin’s salary. That way the Clippers bench wouldn’t be a gaping hole sans Crawford and point guard Austin Rivers.

Stripping the Clippers down to Paul and Jordan could allow Los Angeles to honestly assess a few things. Then they will realize that winning in the NBA Playoffs is the only thing that matters. Los Angeles should look to sign free agents that played in conference finals in the last three years, not with or against Rivers when he was coaching in Boston half a decade ago.

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