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NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Los Angeles Clippers

By Jerry Christodoulatos

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 11: DeAndre Jordan #6 and Austin Rivers #25 of the LA Clippers during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 11, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 11: DeAndre Jordan #6 and Austin Rivers #25 of the LA Clippers during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 11, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The LA Clippers pivoted last year by trading Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. With a solid collection of assets, where do they go from here?

After losing to the Jazz in the 2017 Playoffs, the Los Angeles Clippers faced the prospect of bringing back Chris Paul and Blake Griffin on gargantuan contracts and running back their seemingly cursed core once more.   We’ve seen time and time again how poorly max-level deals can age for star players as they get into their thirties. The checkered injury histories of Paul and Griffin made potential big money extensions even scarier. If the Clippers brought back their star duo, they  would essentially be consigning themselves to salary cap hell for the foreseeable future.

Trading Chris Paul for a mix of young fringe players and veterans represented a massive shift for the franchise. The Clippers decided to center the roster around Blake Griffin, re-signing him to a monstrous five-year contract worth $171 million. The deal looked untradable the moment Griffin signed it. And so, the Clippers battled on the fringes of the playoff race for months until an unexpected opportunity materialized. The desperate Pistons offered Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban and a 2018 first for Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson. The offer was a godsend.  Los Angeles shed one of the league’s riskiest deals, cleaning up its books for the next few seaons and getting a nice asset haul as well.

With that blockbuster deal, the Clippers have sneakily put themselves in position to be one of the biggest free agency players in the league in the summer of 2019. The Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari contracts are the only guaranteed deals on the Clippers’ books after the end of next season. Of course, that could change depending on how Los Angeles approaches the 2018 offseason. The Clippers have some big decisions to make as July looms. Avery Bradley and Montrezl Harrell are entering free agency. Patrick Beverly’s deal is non-guaranteed for next season, so LA has to decide if it wants to pick up his $5 million deal. And the biggest question for LA is the DeAndre Jordan player option.

With the center market heavily impacted by the league wide cap crunch, will DeAndre simply opt in? He’s not getting an offer that starts anywhere near the $24 million figure he’s set to make this year. The two sides could theoretically work out an extension over the next few days. I’m not sure that would be especially prudent for the Clippers though. Jordan opting in for next year might be the best option for them in terms of transitioning into a new era.

If DeAndre opts out, which seems unlikely, Los Angeles should seriously consider letting him walk. He’s about to turn 30, which makes the notion of bringing him back long-term uninspiring at best. The DeAndre situation will also have significant implications on the Clippers’ luxury tax situation as well, especially in light of the news that Austin Rivers and Wes Johnson have (unsurprisingly) opted into the final year of their deals ($12.65 million and $6.1 million respectively). Considering where this team is currently at, it will want to avoid the tax at all costs.

In any case, the Clippers should take a fairly conservative approach this offseason. Los Angeles could easily get into the ballpark of $65 million in cap room next summer. Consequently, the franchise should be extremely careful about adding long-term money onto its books. Unless they gain serious traction in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, this should be a fairly quiet offseason for the Clippers. They can hunt for bargain deals and perhaps bring back Bradley back on a short-term overpay.

After taking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson in the draft, the Clippers have a glut of guards. They can look to add some wing and frontcourt depth, but again they have to be careful about spending across multiple seasons. Here are a few players that Los Angeles can pursue this summer, without seriously impacting their future plans.

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