The Los Angeles Clippers lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets last season.
The Los Angeles Clippers finished the regular season strong, and Kawhi Leonard entered the postseason in good spirits.
It looked like the postseason would be a long battle for the Clippers, but in the end they were once again eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
The Clippers entered the offseason without much flexibility, but were still able to make some nice additions along the edge.
The Clippers, Utah Jazz, and Miami Heat agreed to an offseason trade that sends Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to Los Angeles, and Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and the Clippers’ 2027 second-round pick to Utah.
The Clippers let go of Powell, who was just coming off a career year, but added exactly what they needed in John Collins.
Collins is an athletic and versatile power forward who will be a lob threat alongside James Harden.
He would also allow Kawhi to return to the small forward position, which would alleviate much of his physical workload.
Tim Legler talked about the Clippers acquiring Collins and praised the move.
“John Collins is a really talented player. He’s been with Utah the last few years, but they’re not a team you watch, so you don’t pay attention to them. They didn’t even play every night because they weren’t trying to win games. So you kind of forgot about him.”
“But if you think back to when he first drew attention in Atlanta, this is a legit No. 4 player size-wise with that kind of bounce, and now he’s added the ability to step out and shoot the three. He’s a mid-range jump shooter in one-on-one action. He can also pick, roll, lob or pick-and-pop. He’s a really good offensive player.”
“This gives the Clippers a completely different level of offensive player to play with in the second unit. He may start. Coach Ty Lue said he doesn’t know yet what the starting lineup will be. He may or may not start. Either way, if he comes off the bench, he’ll likely play 25 minutes.”
“I think they got a guy who just shut up and goes out there and scores 16 or 17 points a game in his career without playing a lot of minutes. He scores easily and looks like a breath of fresh air. You can tell that any of these players who went from a team that wasn’t trying to win at all to a team that now thinks they can compete are very grateful to be in these spots.”
“It was fun. Everything about the game was fun. John Collins is also a guy that I look at and think, ‘What a nice pickup.’
Collins wasn’t the only move the Clippers made this summer. The Clippers added a number of veterans, including Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, and Chris Paul.
The Clippers currently have the oldest roster in NBA history and the second-oldest starting lineup in the league behind the Golden State Warriors.
However, having a lot of veterans on the roster could be a good thing for a team desperately trying to overcome obstacles and win a title.
The Clippers have great depth from top to bottom, but as they do every season, they need to stay healthy.