The first trade of the NBA off-season… the Los Angeles Clippers acquire Doc Rivers from the Boston Celtics for a future first round pick. No, this headline was not written twenty-five years ago, the strange occurrence of a team trading for a head coach just happened. With Doc aboard, the next step for the Clips is re-signing Chris Paul to ensure they remain among the best in the Western Conference. Then, try to acquire Kevin Garnett and/or Paul Pierce?
Los Angeles Clippers (56-26 last year)
2012-13 Season Summary:
It was a record breaking season for the Los Angeles Clippers as they won a franchise best 56 games and earned their first ever Division title. Yes, it was the rare, RARE occurrence where the best basketball team in Hollywood was the Clippers and NOT the Lakers.
The direct reason for their success was once again Chris Paul who has helped change the culture in Clipperland since arriving two off-seasons ago. CP3 and Blake Griffin form a dynamic one-two punch but the free agent acquisitions of Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes were among two of the most underrated moves of last summer. Crawford was among the best sixth men in the league and Barnes added some needed versatility off the bench on both ends of the floor.
DeAndre Jordan was a stabilizing force in the middle but has failed to take the next step in his game by becoming the true defensive presence in the middle. Behind Jordan and Griffin, the Clips were very thin up-front. Lamar Odom was practically a non-factor most of the season and journeymen veterans Ronny Turiaf and Ryan Hollins did little to provide any relief off the bench.
The depth in the backcourt and wing was much better even though Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill missed most of the season due to injury. Caron Butler and Willie Green actually started at the two and three even though Crawford and Barnes were more efficient. Eric Bledsoe showed flashes behind CP3 which is why he is going to be a hot target on the trade rumor mill this off-season.
That regular season success didn’t translate to the post-season though as the Clips were bounced by the Grizzlies in the first round. As a result, Vinny del Negro was not retained as head coach which is what led to the team dealing a first round pick to bring him Doc Rivers to run the show.
2013-14 Projected Depth Chart:
C: DeAndre Jordan
PF: Blake Griffin
SF: Caron Butler
SG: ^Willie Green/Jamal Crawford
PG: Eric Bledsoe/*Maalik Wayns
NBA Free Agents:
PG-Chris Paul (UFA)
SF-Matt Barnes (UFA)
F-Lamar Odom (UFA)
SG-Chauncey Billups (UFA)
C-Rony Turiaf (UFA)
C-Ryan Hollins (UFA)
SF-DaJuan Summers (UFA)
*PG-Maalik Wayns (RFA)
^SG-Willie Green (TO)
2013-14 Team Salary: approximately $50.7 million
Team Needs:
1. Re-sign CP3: With Doc Rivers in the fold, Chris Paul’s return to the Los Angeles Clippers appears to be imminent. Teams like the Mavs, Rockets, and Hawks might have a longshot chance of stealing CP3 away from L.A. but the Clips are without question the favorite to retain his rights. If somehow Paul walks in free agency, it will be a step back for the franchise though Eric Bledsoe appears ready and capable of a starting job.
2. Shop Bledsoe: With that being said, if CP3 re-signs then the Bledsoe becomes expendable. L.A. wouldn’t NEED to trade him but there are several teams willing to give up a starting caliber player to land Bledsoe in hopes that he becomes their point guard of the future. It would be hard for the Clips to say no if they could land a starting shooting guard like Orlando’s Aaron Afflalo.
3. Small Forward: Matt Barnes earned a contract extension and hefty pay raise so the Clips should be ready to give him a multi-year deal and bump in salary. If Barnes is lured away by another team, L.A. needs to add another small forward since Grant Hill has already announced his retirement and Caron Butler is slowly regressing with his effectiveness as a scorer.
4. Frontcourt Depth: With Griffin and Jordan the only frontcourt players under contract for next season, the Clips need to find bodies up-front and ideally, upgrades from what the Turiaf/Hollins/Odom trio brought to the floor last year. Jordan’s name has already been dangled in a potential to deal to land Kevin Garnett and while that would add something to the starting lineup, the post reserve play still needs to be addressed.
OTHER NBA TEAM NEEDS PAGES:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Bobcats
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Portland Blazers
Sacramento Kings
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
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David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.