Last week in Southern California, two Earthquakes hit, which caused the state to shake to its core. But the Earthquake last Friday was bigger and stronger in more ways than one. One again shook Southern California and the other shook the NBA and the sports world. The Los Angeles Clippers, after mostly a brutal 49 year history of their franchise, changed the game.
The Clippers won out in free agency for Kawhi Leonard‘s services. And not only that, Leonard pulled off the ultimate power play, recruiting Paul George to be his teammate. George requested a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder and he got his wish.
The Clippers now have one of the league’s best duos and are now a title contender. They also are bringing back most of their depth from their 48 win team from last season. Quite a few things, however, had to go right for the transformation of the Clippers franchise to happen. Let’s break them down.
A Revamped Los Angeles Clippers Front Office
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was also the president of basketball operations for the franchise. But he was stripped of that title, which became the ultimate blessing for him. The multi-billionaire owner of the Clippers, Steve Ballmer, decided to bring in former NBA head coach Lawrence Frank to be the president of basketball operations.
A transaction that hasn’t been talked about enough is the Clippers keeping their general manager, Michael Winger, who interviewed with the Minnesota Timberwolves this off-season. Winger, along with Frank, bring stability to arguably the best front office in the NBA. That’s also a factor in why Leonard focused in on the Clippers during his free agency process.
Jerry West Pays Dividends For The Los Angeles Clippers
No doubt, everyone in the Clippers organization deserves credit for bringing Leonard and George onboard. But “the logo” of the NBA himself, Jerry West, also did his thing. West paid dividends in the Clippers transformation into now an elite franchise. Ballmer brought him onboard to be his consultant, which means he’s his right hand man.
But as I stated back in March, don’t let West’s title in the Clippers organization fool you. He’s arguably the greatest executive the NBA has ever seen, and his knowledge carries a lot of weight. Here’s his legendary resume as an executive.
West also played a huge role as a general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies, turning the franchise from a laughingstock to a playoff team. In 2004, his hard work was recognized, winning the executive of the year.
He’s also a big reason why the Warriors dynasty existed. So Ballmer made a smart choice in bringing West onboard, completing the Clippers front office transformation into the NBA’s elite.
How The Former “Lob City” Era Paved The Way For Leonard, George
The “Lob City” era that consisted of Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, and Blake Griffin, paved the way. It also aided the Clippers transformation.
In 2017, Paul wanted to join the Houston Rockets, and was granted his wish. In the process, they dodged a bullet, not having to pay Paul the five-year supermax that was going to be over $200 million.
The Clippers were able to acquire a total of seven players and a 2018 protected first rounder in the trade for Paul. But only three of those players are on the roster right now. Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell are the players left from the trade, and they’ve played huge roles in changing the Clippers culture.
Another smart move that was made was trading Griffin to the Detroit Pistons after re-signing him in 2017. The deal was centered around Griffin and Tobias Harris, and the Clippers acquired a 2018 protected first round pick and a 2019 second round pick.
Then in February 2019, they flipped Harris to the Philadelphia 76ers, acquiring a 2021 first rounder that was used to acquire George from Oklahoma City. Also, letting Jordan walk in free agency last summer to the Dallas Mavericks was smart.
They couldn’t invest max dollars into players who aren’t transcendent. So letting go of Paul, Griffin, and Jordan proved to be the smart move for the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard Looks To Guide Clippers, But Pressure’s On
Obviously, Lakers fans aren’t thrilled with Leonard’s move, but he should be commended for it. Of the three teams Leonard chose from, he decided to go on the hardest path. Joining the Clippers, despite having George as his star teammate, won’t be easy.
They’re in a loaded Western Conference, with the Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets looking to stake their claim. But despite that and being known as the second team in Los Angeles, Leonard came home to take on the challenge. On Wednesday, he basically even bet on himself to win a title within the next two seasons.
So despite having won Leonard’s services in free agency, the pressure is on the Clippers to win. And they’re definitely built to handle it from top to bottom in the organization. Leonard is the right guy to lead the Clippers.
From a competitive standpoint, he basically old school, wanting to take on the best. So for the Clippers, that will bode well for them. Also, knowing he’s now a quiet, but deadly recruiter, is a huge plus too.
Hard Work/Culture Change Has Paid Off For The Los Angeles Clippers
From an elite front office, to having Rivers on the sidelines, and now a contending roster, they’re out to show people that the Clippers aren’t the same “Ol Clippers”.
They rolled the dice and put their chips on the table for this transformation to happen. And it took two stars, Leonard and George, two guys from Southern California, to help put a stamp on it.
The hard work they’ve put in to change the culture of their franchise has paid off. Some thought when they traded Griffin, who re-signed a five-year, $173 million contract to stay with the Clippers, was going to hurt them from a loyalty standpoint around the league.
But it didn’t because in today’s NBA, that really doesn’t play a role. Mostly because players don’t really see it as a concern. If you have a good/great culture and an opportunity to win, they’ll want to be a part of it. And that’s exactly what the Clippers have.
They put themselves in position by rolling the dice and they’re being rewarded for it. They’ve been a laughingstock for most of their 49 year existence, and after decades of disappointment, the Clippers finally can say with confidence that they have seat at the table.
