On January 13, Beijing time, the NBA regular season has been half played, the Clippers are plagued by injuries, only achieved a record of 21 wins and 21 losses, because the dual-core Leonard and George are in recuperation, want to compete for the championship, it is also a bit of a fool's dream. According to the latest news, the Clippers intend to strategically give up this season in order to usher in a healthy double core next season.
Earlier, Chris Haynes revealed that Leonard's recovery is progressing faster than planned and that there is a good chance of his return this season. This has also made Clippers fans very happy, but the situation is not optimistic, and some people inside the Clippers believe that Leonard's return this season is unlikely. Leonard was injured in last year's Western Conference semifinals, suffered an ACL tear, followed by surgery, and the recovery period for this injury is 12-18 months, and the probability of a comeback is almost zero unless the Clippers have the possibility of competing for the title.
Originally, the Clippers had another star, George, but he also suffered a torn ligament in his right hand and entered an indefinite truce. At present, the Clippers have not disclosed the latest situation of George, but the internal preparation has begun to follow the situation that George will not return this season.
That is to say, Leonard and George are not returning, how the team should adjust, they are likely to choose to give up strategically, can make some trades, dump the veteran for some young players, so as to free up salary space, so that they can gain something in the free market this summer.
Obviously, the Clippers know that even if they make the playoffs this season, it will not bring any changes, and it is impossible to let the two cores play with injuries, which is completely unnecessary. In the time that followed, the Clippers would be actively pursuing the possibility of a deal, with Ibaka being the most likely to be sold. If they could send Ibaka before the deal deadline, the Clippers could save $40 million in luxury taxes. Ibaka has played in 23 games this season, averaging 6.3 points and 4 rebounds per game. When I signed Ibaka, he thought the Clippers had gained a lot, but he has been in the process of recovering from injuries and has made little contribution to the team.
There are still many objects that the Clippers can sell, including Bledsoe, Reggie, and Morris Jr., all of which can be traded. It is reported that only 3 people in the Clippers are non-selling, double-core Leonard and George, and rising star Mann. They want to make the squad more flexible, can turn into younger talent and cheaper contracts to replace some of the veterans. You know, by the time of next season, it's really hard to say how the status of these veterans will be, and there will be free up salary space and more operating space in the offseason.