Clippers' Assets From Blake Griffin, Tobias Harris and Heat Trades Made Free Agency Splash Possible
By Thomas Carannante
If not for these shrewd moves of the past, we might have seen the Toronto Raptors running away with another NBA title.
According to reports, Kawhi Leonard was focused on recruiting Paul George to play with him next season and beyond, but the problem was that he'd have to get the Oklahoma City Thunder to trade him. That happened on Saturday when OKC offloaded him to the Los Angeles Clippers for five first-round picks, but Thunder GM Sam Presti approached the Raptors about a blockbuster deal that would've sent George and Russell Westbrook to Toronto.
In the end, the Clippers' willingness to throw in an excessive amount of draft picks secured George and Leonard to LA, and Clips fans can thank the genius trades of Blake Griffin and Tobias Harris (among others) for that.
In the end, Toronto didn't have assets to satisfy OKC --- with or without Siakam in any proposed deal. The fear of Toronto entering into trade talks with OKC only proved to guarantee the Clippers would go the distance with five first-round picks and SGA in deal for George.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
The Clippers traded Griffin to the Pistons in January of 2018 and acquired a first-round pick in addition to Harris (among others), and then offloaded Harris to the Philadelphia 76ers before this year's trade deadline in exchange for a first-round pick. They also have the Miami Heat's 2021 first-round pick from the Goran Dragic trade a few years back and the Heat's 2023 first-round pick for helping complete the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade.
OKC acquired THREE unprotected first-round picks from the Clippers in this trade (2022, 2024 and 2026), league sources say, PLUS two firsts from Miami (2021 unprotected and 2023 protected 1-to-14) ... AND the right to swap picks with the Clips in 2023 and 2025. Staggering
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 6, 2019
One would have to assume the Clippers don't really care about their 2022 first-round pick or swapping in 2023 because they'll be contending those seasons. While 2024, 2025 and 2026 could post a bit of an issue, that's so far down the road there's time to make up for those losses. Shipping away Miami's picks probably wasn't a debate whatsoever.
So if you thought the Clippers mortgaged their future in an excessive way to bring Kawhi and George to LA, you're wrong. This front office wizardry could have the Clips contending for a very long time.
ESPN story on OKC’s Sam Presti leveraging the Clippers and Raptors on a Paul George trade, a deal ultimately dictating the balance of power in the NBA. https://t.co/Etm0YwVLmB
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Not only that, but this roster still has Landry Shamet, Montrezl Harrell, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Mo Harkless and Ivica Zubac (assuming he signs his qualifying offer), so this isn't a Lakers situation where the team has little depth after two mega signings.
The Clippers set themselves up for this exact moment and delivered almost flawlessly.