If healthy, the LA Clippers feel as if they have a team that can win it all. While true, and certainly justified, there is always room for improvement on the margins. With an interesting free agent class this summer, who should the Clippers be targeting? With limited cap space, and their own free agents to retain, the Clippers have some decisions to make.
After their play-in loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Marcus Morris said the team could use a backup point guard. “I would say one of our biggest needs is a backup point guard,” Morris said. “We played a lot of the season without one. T-Mann did a great job stepping in, being a backup PG. The whole season we didn’t have a backup point guard. That’s probably the biggest thing.”
Some potentially available candidates at the backup point guard position this summer are Jalen Brunson, Dennis Schroder, Goran Dragic, Jevon Carter, DJ Augustin, and others. While none of the aforementioned players are necessarily guaranteed to become available, or would actually find a substantial role with the Clippers, they are amongst the short list of point guards who are set to hit free agency this summer.
Of the players on that list, Brunson would be the home run signing for the Clippers; however, they will command a salary beyond what they can currently afford. Should the team free up some space, Brunson could be a player they make a run at. The others will likely not exceed the veteran minimum, making them more realistic stopgaps in that back-up point guard role.
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There is of course always the unlikely possibility that the Clippers could make a blockbuster deal for the huge contract of John Wall, who is almost certain to pick up his $ 42M player option; however, that seems to be the most unlikely scenario amongst the available point guard solutions. Even more unlikely, is the possibility that the Clippers bail the Lakers out of Russell Westbrook’s contract. With their hallway rivals almost certain to shop the veteran point guard this summer, don’t expect the Clippers to engage in those conversations.
As the Clippers have shown over the years, their front office is both elite and unpredictable. If they feel as if the team is thin in the backcourt, they will find a way to address that need.
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