Los Angeles double male Lakers and Clippers, can be described as the same happiness and suffering. Since the completion of the reconstruction in 2019, the two teams were once regarded as the hegemons of the league for the next five years, and now in just the past 2 seasons, the league has changed, and these two teams are no longer the top teams in the league. Compared with the strong Lakers, this season's Clippers should be more respected, even if the team's core Leonard season reimbursement, George attendance is worrying, they still maintain the eighth position in the West. According to the Clippers' plan, they wanted to get through the regular season smoothly, and at the end of the regular season, they would welcome Leonard back and play in the playoffs, but it was not satisfactory, and now even George is facing the problem of season reimbursement.
According to the Clippers reporter, George will be absent for a month due to a torn right elbow ligament, after which it will be re-evaluated, and the Clippers are ready for George's season reimbursement. Once George is reimbursed for the season, the Clippers will be active in the trading market, and all players will be in tradable status except for the two cores of the team. Although George's problem still has room for turnaround, but this is the news that came out half a month after George's injury, presumably George's recovery is not as expected, the Clippers will be ready to give up this season in advance and open trade negotiations. Retaining the front line combination and taking advantage of this season's vacancy period for a lineup reshuffle, the Clippers are undoubtedly borrowing from the Warriors' successful plan, which is undoubtedly the Clippers' best contingency plan after George's season reimbursement. With the exception of Leonard and George, the Clippers' other players still have good deal value, which gives the Clippers the capital to complete the roster rebuild in a year's time.
According to NBA reporters, the Clippers have gradually advanced trades for veterans on the team, with players other than the double-forward and Mann in tradable status. Morris is the most trade-worthy player in their squad, while Ibaka is most likely to be the first player to be sent away. The Clippers will most likely send Ibaka to the Thunder in exchange for salary space and reduce salary pressure, and after the Thunder, Ibaka will choose to reach a buyout agreement with the Thunder.
Morris's potential next home is most likely the Nets, who intend to use Harris as a trading chip. If the deal can be successfully concluded, then it is a win-win deal for both teams, the Clippers with the strongest defensive duo on the outside, compared to Morris's balanced offensive and defensive players, Harris' extreme outside shooter is more suitable for them, and for the Nets, Morris's addition can also help them reduce the pressure of front defense. In the offseason, it has been rumored that the Nets and the Clippers have a deal with Ibaka, which ultimately failed to become a reality, and Ibaka is very willing to join harden and Durant again, so after the buyout, if the Nets can actively pursue, then Ibaka is very likely to be recruited.
In addition, Reggie Jackson and Batum will also be the object of hunger for other playoff teams, but the Clippers should remember that they are just reshuffling the cards and not completely tearing down the rebuild, in the editor's opinion, Jackson and Batum are also indispensable to this Clippers, if the Clippers want to make a comeback next season, then retaining these two veteran players will be a better choice.
With George's injury, the Leonard camp finally released the news: The chances of Leonard's comeback this season are almost zero. This kind of operation is no longer strange to the Leonard camp, which has always maintained a high degree of secrecy. If the Clippers can confirm the news before the start of the offseason, there will be more time for them to regroup, and they can choose to swing through this season and rest on the main lineup — so that the Clippers can get the lottery picks in the draft as a trading chip, and successfully retain the energy of the core players to prepare more adequately for the 2022 season.
As a superstar, Leonard has certain star privileges, but his choice should be more for the sake of the team, which is worthy of being a team leader. From the offseason signing storm to the current confusing comeback situation, the Clippers have been very generous to Leonard.