The Los Angeles Clippers have possibly been the most active NBA team this offseason, with several moves in free agency, the draft, and trade deals.
The Clippers let Amir Coffey, Ben Simmons, and Patty Mills walk in free agency and waived Drew Eubanks.
LA signed Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, and Brook Lopez to replace them, and extended James Harden and Nicolas Batum.
The Clippers also traded away Norman Powell in exchange for John Collins and drafted Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Kobe Sanders.
Head coach Tyronn Lue now has a job on his hands to get the team to click, which should involve treating Beal and Paul the same way.
Chris Paul started all 82 regular-season games for the San Antonio Spurs last season and wanted to do the same with his new team.
However, the Clippers’ interest in signing the veteran point guard revolved around him coming off the bench.
Paul has reluctantly agreed to the condition, as he penned a one-year, $3.6 million deal on Monday.
Now, Bradley Beal is not in the same position. He is eight years younger than Paul and averaged 17 points per game for the Phoenix Suns on good efficiency last season.
The Clippers’ problem is that the ball-dominant James Harden is already in the backcourt, not to mention accomplished scorers Kawhi Leonard, John Collins, and Ivica Zubac in the frontcourt.
It would make far more sense for the defensive-minded Kris Dunn to start alongside Harden and for Beal to be the first option on the bench unit, like Lou Williams used to be.
This would provide Lue with a more well-balanced lineup that could contend in the Western Conference.
The Clippers’ depth is considerably better than most NBA teams. A potential backup five of Paul, Beal, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr, and Lopez is not much worse than some starting lineups.
This would also leave Batum, Niederhauser, Sanders, and Trentyn Flowers as further reinforcements if and when injuries occur.
| Position | Starters | Bench |
| PG | James Harden | Chris Paul |
| SG | Kris Dunn | Bradley Beal |
| SF | Kawhi Leonard | Bogdan Bogdanovic |
| PF | John Collins | Derrick Jones Jr |
| C | Ivica Zubac | Brook Lopez |
Health will be the biggest determining factor on the Clippers’ success next season. Perhaps only the Oklahoma City Thunder have a better 10-man rotation if everyone is available.
Unfortunately, several Clippers players are highly likely to miss time throughout the year, as they already have prolonged injury histories. That’s what could hold them back.
