The Los Angeles Clippers have not wasted any time making moves this offseason. First it was keeping James Harden on a two-year deal, then it was bringing back Nic Batum on a two-year deal, and now the team has signed Brook Lopez to a... you guessed it, a two-year contract, worth $18 million according to Shams Charania.
LA looks pretty balanced across the board. I don't know if they have enough firepower to reach the top of the West, but this is, at least, a competitive lineup.
Projected Clippers lineup after signing Brook Lopez
Starter | Bench | Position |
|---|---|---|
James Harden | Kris Dunn | Point guard |
Norman Powell | Bogdan Bogdanovic | Shooting guard |
Kawhi Leonard | Amir Coffey | Small forward |
Derrick Jones Jr. | Nic Batum | Power forward |
Ivica Zubac | Brook Lopez | Center |
Lopez slides right into the backup center spot for the Clippers, in hopes that a lesser role than he had in Milwaukee can rejuvenate his career. It wasn't awful last year for Lopez, but he looked a step slower on both ends, and his time as a productive starter are probably behind him. Luckily, he won't have to start in LA, and I do think Lopez can still be a great backup.
Nic Batum will play his usual jack-of-all-trades role off the bench (or potentially in the starting lineup, depending on which direction Ty Lue wants to go) while Kris Dunn brings defensive tenacity and Bogdan provides the second-unit with some scoring pop.
Brook Lopez might be Clippers big offseason addition
And that's fine... but probably not enough to get this team over the hump. Everything went "right" for the Clippers last year, and they were still bounced in the first round.
The big question now is... do the Clippers really bring back franchise legend Chris Paul? Multiple reports have connected Paul to the Clips, and despite him being 40 years old, he did play every game last year for the Spurs and still possesses one of the best feels for the game in NBA history. He's not going to be the double-double machine he once was, but in a very limited role, there's no reason he couldn't at least be helpful in a homecoming.