The Los Angeles Clippers are in a conundrum. With the 2017 NBA free agency looming, Doc Rivers and company have tough decision to make. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and JJ Redick are all free agents in the summer and all three are likely to command big money in free agency.
Not only does Doc have the possibility of losing three of his four stars, but with his current crop of talent, they have made the Western Conference Finals a total of zero times. The Clippers franchise has never made an NBA Finals before, let alone a Conference Finals. Bringing in Doc and Chris Paul was supposed to signal a change of direction for the franchise. Change has come and gone through all of Doc’s random signings through the years, but the Clippers are still in the same place they were five years ago. No championship and trying to save a sinking ship.
There are a series of questions that the Los Angeles Clippers need to answer in free agency. Where is the franchise headed? Is Chris Paul your man of the future, or is it Blake Griffin? Is JJ Reddick an expendable piece? And, finally, is it worth it to blow it all up and start fresh?
Blake Griffin is the main concern for the Clippers this summer. He is expected to exercise his player option and explore his options in the market. There are a number of teams who will be in the market to acquire his services in addition to Los Angeles. From a previous report, Griffin may not even be interested in returning to the Clips.
That could be either fantastic or daunting news if you’re a Clippers fan. On one hand, it’s odd to think about LA in the playoffs without their car-hopping big man in the paint. He has been a vital part of their success in the regular season and the postseason. But, injuries have plagued his career. Specifically, he was ruled out of the series with the Jazz because of a bruised toe. A bruised toe is a bigger deal than it may seem. For an athletic guy like Blake who likes to be in the air more than he enjoys being on the ground, a bruised toe can be serious business. If you rid yourself of Griffin and bring in a “low-risk” player, those worries about injuries suddenly disappear. But, what’s the fun in bringing in a low-risk guy when you can keep Griffin?
It may not be the Clippers decision to keep Griffin, though. He could willingly walk away from them in the offseason to either the Boston Celtics or the in-town rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics were reluctant to make a move at the trade deadline and this could be their chance to make a splash with a “whale.” The Lakers are not looking to win a championship immediately, therefore it wouldn’t make sense for Griffin to go to the Lakers unless he is willing to wait around for five years until they’re ready to compete (looking at you Paul George). The Celtics will be an immediate solution for Griffin, but he, and the Celtics will have to enter LeBron’s cavern to have the possibility to make it out of the Eastern Conference alive.
Griffin is expected to collect a hefty $175 million dollar deal that will be paid out over five years. If Los Angeles is willing to take the continued risk of Griffin, they should jump on the chance as quick as possible before he changes his mind.
Chris Paul is arguably one of the best to ever play in a Los Angeles Clippers uniform. His willingness to share the ball, carry the team, and score is unparalleled when compared to the rest of the league. Paul is one of the best “pure point guards” in the league.
He is one of the only constants on the Clippers. Through Blake’s injuries, J.J.’s—sometimes—inconsistent shooting, and Jordan’s limited offensive ability, Paul has been consistently there for the Clippers doing everything night in and night out. It would be a shame if the Clips let go one of the best all-around point guards in NBA history.
Paul is expected to sign a five-year deal that will be worth $205 million dollars. This is due to a new CBA agreement that took place back in December of 2016. Any other team that tries to offer Paul a max will come short of the $205 million he would receive from the Clippers.
Chris Paul and the Clippers have, reportedly, had already come to a deal back in January. Paul is supposed to accept the max that the Clippers will offer him in the offseason. This is the right decision for both sides considering how Paul has performed this season. He is the cornerstone of their franchise.
J.J. Redick is probably the most expendable in this group of players. His key attributes of being a knock-down 3-point shooter and being average on defense are not as important to the Clippers as Griffins ball-handling ability or Chris Paul’s performances. He has always been the least valuable of the four Clippers stars.
Even though he probably won’t return to the Clippers next season, he will definitely stay in the league. J.J. can easily go to another team like the Spurs and make plenty of money playing for a battle-tested team rather than continue to suffer through another first-round boot at the hands of the Jazz. There’s always a market for guys who can shoot three’s. Maybe he joins up with Harden and crew down in Houston to go chuck more three’s at the rim.
Here is an option that has been considered but shot down multiple times by Steve Ballmer: tanking.
It’s something that is a new concept to Clippers fans considering they’re so used to always being in the playoffs. But, have any of those playoff experiences ended with a ring?
Not only does this make sense for Los Angeles Clippers, but it could seriously boost their chances of winning a championship in the future. Obviously, the core of Paul, Redick, Griffin, and Jordan are not working. You can point fingers at Doc, their individual play, and even at the bench play. However, the reality is that none of those problems have easy solutions. The issues with running it back with the same crew are that there is no room for new bench additions. Right now, their best bench player is Austin Rivers. That’s fine, if, as a fan, you’re OK settling for a five seed or below every year.
The only significant impact Doc Rivers has had as the head of the Clippers front office was signing J.J. Redick back in 2013. That was four years ago. In those four years, Doc has done nothing to further the progress of their bench beside adding a defensive liability (Mo Speights) and adding an aging veteran (Paul Pierce).
Doc has decimated their bench through failed signings, but also through failed draft picks. Reggie Bullock and C.J. Wilcox are the only two players to be drafted by the Clippers since 2013. Neither Bullock nor Wilcox is on LA’s roster as of May 5th, and I don’t think Doc plans on resigning them. Bullock was actually flipped to New Orleans for Austin Rivers, who is still on the team. Rivers has made improvements this season, but realistically, Rivers’ ceiling is a sixth-man in the league—and that’s really stretching it. C.J. Wilcox played a grand total of 21 games in his Clippers career. Wilcox isn’t even on an NBA roster anymore.
The time is now if the Los Angeles Clippers are going to blow it up. But, if they’re going to blow it up, they need to blow it up big-time. I’m talking Wile E. Coyote big-time.
Here is a short list of how to blow it up: ACME style
- Fire Doc Rivers
- Let Paul, Redick walk
- Keep Griffin, whatever it takes
- Build around Griffin right now and see what happens
- Draft smart
Obviously, it is more complex than the list, but that’s a good place to start.
Once the offseason comes around, both Ballmer and Doc need to sit down and have a long look at what the future really is and what they can do with it. The clock is ticking on the Clippers future.
