Steve Ballmer is against any sort of rebuild or “the process”. Prefers to just attract free agents.

[BigGargamel]

The Clippers have been, BY FAR, and I cannot understate how much of a BY FARRRRRR, the worst drafting team in the NBA since they became decent. (Not to mention the pick that the Cavs used on Kyrie was from the Clippers). So they would fumble any type of process anyway.

[Roscoe Sheed]

The Clippers have been, BY FAR, and I cannot understate how much of a BY FARRRRRR, the worst drafting team in the NBA since they became decent. (Not to mention the pick that the Cavs used on Kyrie was from the Clippers). So they would fumble any type of process anyway.

while mostly true- they did pass up MPJ

they did draft SGA- who has turned into a star (albeit for a different team) and Mann is a very good role player.

Kobe Brown looks like he could contribute nicely

[Waynearchetype]

Easy to be against "the process" when you don't have any picks for the next decade,

[DaGawd]

The Clippers have been, BY FAR, and I cannot understate how much of a BY FARRRRRR, the worst drafting team in the NBA since they became decent. (Not to mention the pick that the Cavs used on Kyrie was from the Clippers). So they would fumble any type of process anyway.

while mostly true- they did pass up MPJ

they did draft SGA- who has turned into a star (albeit for a different team) and Mann is a very good role player.

Kobe Brown looks like he could contribute nicely

sga was actually drafted by the hornets technically

[Slim Charlez]

A storied history of abject failute doesn't tend to draw free agents.

LA does though and the vast majority of their FA targets moving forward were probably too young to remember the Sterling era. For the past decade or so the Clippers have almost always made the playoffs.

[clippertown]

The Clippers have been, BY FAR, and I cannot understate how much of a BY FARRRRRR, the worst drafting team in the NBA since they became decent. (Not to mention the pick that the Cavs used on Kyrie was from the Clippers). So they would fumble any type of process anyway.

Clips did alright with their picks, especially prior to 2010. Since then, it has been an unmitigated disaster - starting with the Al Farouq Aminu pick over Paul George. Granted, the Clips have very little to work with since then - just two late lottery picks in 13 years that netted SGA and Jerome Robertson. Mann was a great pickup at 48. The rest have been horrible.

Fortunately, the Clips do very well on the free agent side of things so picks are not critical for their development.

[p0peye]

He is 100% correct. Rebuild is for organizations that have incompetent management or have been disadvantaged when it comes to attracting FA.

[Roscoe Sheed]

The Clippers have been, BY FAR, and I cannot understate how much of a BY FARRRRRR, the worst drafting team in the NBA since they became decent. (Not to mention the pick that the Cavs used on Kyrie was from the Clippers). So they would fumble any type of process anyway.

while mostly true- they did pass up MPJ

they did draft SGA- who has turned into a star (albeit for a different team) and Mann is a very good role player.

Kobe Brown looks like he could contribute nicely

sga was actually drafted by the hornets technically

the clippers had back to back picks that season- the Hornets officially drafted him, but if so it was for the Clippers- the Clippers wanted him

[Clemenza]

We're actually stockpiling some nice young players up under PG & Kawhi. A lot of first round picks who still have potential are getting cut these days because there's no more roster space to house them. Ironically OKC has like 30+ draft picks over the next six years or so. They can't add five new players every single season on top of what they already have. Hell we might end up with some of those picks ourselves at the rate things are going. Yes it sucked losing SGA, but outside of having 1st rounders for trades we're not hurting for young talent with upside anymore. Really no team should

[Edrees]

Better hope those free agents are cool with being boo'd in their own city as they go around places. They got lucky with Kawhi being a weirdo who hates the spotlight. Even the Lakers struggle with FA sometimes. It's not as free as you might think just because you are in LA. Even the Lakers had to get their assets mostly by rebuilding and not being good for awhile, which they were able to trade for AD, and only because Lebron wanted to be here.

[wegotthabeet]

Yes thank you for SGA and Jalen Williams.

But for a market like LA yes it does make some sense to operate differently.

Yeah this is where they f-ed up. They could have signed Kawhi + some like George without making that ridiculous trade whether it was that offseason or the next. It’s easy to sign elite talent when you’re based in LA.

SGA, Maxey, Jalen + Kawhi and another star etc..

No need to make bad all in trades like the George trade. They had Kawhi regardless. I don’t believe he wasn’t signing without it.

[HotelVitale]

The Clippers have been, BY FAR, and I cannot understate how much of a BY FARRRRRR, the worst drafting team in the NBA since they became decent. (Not to mention the pick that the Cavs used on Kyrie was from the Clippers). So they would fumble any type of process anyway.

while mostly true- they did pass up MPJ they did draft SGA- who has turned into a star (albeit for a different team) and Mann is a very good role player. Kobe Brown looks like he could contribute nicely

sga was actually drafted by the hornets technically

Nah, he was taken with the expectation of a trade and CHA chose Miles Bridges over him.

To the larger point, I never get this idea. They've switched GMs 6 times since 2010, had a wide array of different types and styles of leadership. The rest of their staff that would have any input into drafting has also changed, and of course even ownership changed too. There's literally nothing connecting all those people and all those draft decisions beyond the colors and logo. I know people want to believe there's way more skill to drafting (and much less guessing game), but it's pushing that pretty far to think a team is inherently good or bad at it.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Yes thank you for SGA and Jalen Williams.

But for a market like LA yes it does make some sense to operate differently.

Yeah this is where they f-ed up. They could have signed Kawhi + some like George without making that ridiculous trade whether it was that offseason or the next. It’s easy to sign elite talent when you’re based in LA.

SGA, Maxey, Jalen + Kawhi and another star etc..

No need to make bad all in trades like the George trade. They had Kawhi regardless. I don’t believe he wasn’t signing without it.

The story is that Kawhi said he wouldn’t sign unless they traded for pg13. He could have signed with the lakers

[wegotthabeet]

Yes thank you for SGA and Jalen Williams.

But for a market like LA yes it does make some sense to operate differently.

Yeah this is where they f-ed up. They could have signed Kawhi + some like George without making that ridiculous trade whether it was that offseason or the next. It’s easy to sign elite talent when you’re based in LA.

SGA, Maxey, Jalen + Kawhi and another star etc..

No need to make bad all in trades like the George trade. They had Kawhi regardless. I don’t believe he wasn’t signing without it.

The story is that Kawhi said he wouldn’t sign unless they traded for pg13. He could have signed with the lakers

Yeah I don’t think he would have.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Better hope those free agents are cool with being boo'd in their own city as they go around places. They got lucky with Kawhi being a weirdo who hates the spotlight. Even the Lakers struggle with FA sometimes. It's not as free as you might think just because you are in LA. Even the Lakers had to get their assets mostly by rebuilding and not being good for awhile, which they were able to trade for AD, and only because Lebron wanted to be here.

Pg13 grew up a clipper fan.

Harden wants to be traded to the clippers and he’s from LA too, as is Westbrook.

Being the “other” team hasn’t deterred these guys- they know current ownership is serious and they are about to have a new arena too

[DAWill1128]

He's in LA in a brand new Arena and the Clippers have been a good team for 10+ years.

As a Warriors fan I am more in favor of clearing the decks financially and going after big target free agents than a draft rebuild. We did draft rebuilds since like Webber left and that lasted years. We have a new arena, good weather, a recent history of winning a lot.

I thought the Magic in like 2000 did a great job clearing the decks and pursuing Duncan, T-Mac, McGrady and a few other guys. Just a Grant Hill injury away from being annual contenders. I like that route for my organization better. Believe they also botched the Duncan signing, was it a Doc preference for flights/families? I forget. Crazy what they could've been.

[The Laker Kid]

The Clips really ARE the younger brother

[HotelVitale]

Yeah this is where they f-ed up. They could have signed Kawhi + some like George without making that ridiculous trade whether it was that offseason or the next. It’s easy to sign elite talent when you’re based in LA.

SGA, Maxey, Jalen + Kawhi and another star etc..

No need to make bad all in trades like the George trade. They had Kawhi regardless. I don’t believe he wasn’t signing without it.

The story is that Kawhi said he wouldn’t sign unless they traded for pg13. He could have signed with the lakers

Yeah I don’t think he would have.

Based on what? In any case, you'd really call his bluff and risk losing Kawhi, and also pass up the chance to pair peak PG with peak Kawhi--more or less because you think the price was a 1st rounder more than you wanted?

This also sounds like one of those things where everyone jumps off the sinking ship and blames everyone as they go. Kawhi and PG happened to have some of the worst health outcomes that seemed possible/reasonable at the time, so they never put together serious title runs. And some of the OKC trade pieces ended up becoming far far better than anyone could've reasonably hoped too--even SGA's biggest fans didn't clock him as an all-NBA guy by age 24, J Williams looks like one of the best players taking in the teens this decade, etc. Yes it's turned into a disappointing trade for LAC and a great one for OKC, but no one could've known that at the time for either side.

[wegotthabeet]

The story is that Kawhi said he wouldn’t sign unless they traded for pg13. He could have signed with the lakers

Yeah I don’t think he would have.

Based on what? In any case, you'd really call his bluff and risk losing Kawhi, and also pass up the chance to pair peak PG with peak Kawhi--more or less because you think the price was a 1st rounder more than you wanted?

This also sounds like one of those things where everyone jumps off the sinking ship and blames everyone as they go. Kawhi and PG happened to have some of the worst health outcomes that seemed possible/reasonable at the time, so they never put together serious title runs. And some of the OKC trade pieces ended up becoming far far better than anyone could've reasonably hoped too--even SGA's biggest fans didn't clock him as an all-NBA guy by age 24, J Williams looks like one of the best players taking in the teens this decade, etc. Yes it's turned into a disappointing trade for LAC and a great one for OKC, but no one could've known that at the time for either side.

Kawhi was never going to the Lakers to play 2nd fiddle to LeBron. He isn’t AD. He isn’t built like that. I just can’t see it. Call his bluff. Or do anything you can to sign Butler too. The trade was bad the moment it was made.

[Decipher]

OT and excuse me because I am not American but I have never understood why Ballmer didn’t take the team back to San Diego

Same time zone, own identity, much nicer place ….

I would prefer to live there rather than LA every day of the week

Can’t believe that LA Clipper fans would abandon the team just because it moved down the road so would broadcast numbers actually fall off a cliff?