The Clippers are about to endure a major transformation after this offseason, mostly because of the blow they took in free agency. Losing DeAndre Jordan to the Dallas Mavericks in free agency presents a huge setback for the Clippers, and shooting guard J.J. Redick knows it.
When asked to grade the Clippers offseason, Redick kept it completely plain with Ric Bucher and Nicole Zaloumis via Bleacher Report Radio:
“F. Is there an F-minus?
“Listen, we had one priority this summer, and that was to re-sign DJ, and we missed out on that. Barring some miracle, the makeup of our team is completely different now.
“He was such an integral part of what we did, not just defensively, but offensively with the screening, his rolling, his offensive rebounds. His presence down low essentially made teams either commit to the three-point line when Blake [Griffin] or Chris [Paul] penetrated, or commit to him, and that either opened up lobs to him or threes for guys like me and Jamal [Crawford] and Matt [Barnes].
“So he was a huge part of what we did and missing out and having him leave for Dallas gives us a failing grade.”
That gives you the sense that Redick understood and appreciated the value of DeAndre Jordan to the Clippers. Jordan’s departure for Dallas was reportedly driven by a new set of motivations and a shaky relationship with Chris Paul, but Redick’s point is certainly fortified by the fact that Jordan left for another competitive team in the West.
Obviously Redick isn’t high enough on the Clippers’ acquisitions so far this summer in Lance Stephenson, Paul Pierce, and newly acquired Wesley Johnson to forget about the damage done losing Jordan. His grade is fair and just, but now it’s on his team to try and make the transformation a positive one.
