Durant and Leonard are two big names the Clippers may try to attract to the teamNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The Clippers are "using this season to set themselves up as an attractive new home" for NBA superstars, as next offseason the club "will have two available max salary slots, and have become the kind of team and organization into which those slots would fit perfectly," according to Bill Plaschke of the L.A. TIMES. The Clippers on-court product has "complementary-yet-competitive pieces that could readily embrace a star and honestly promise him title contention." The group is also "supported by an owner who spends, a legend who advises, a smart front office, a championship head coach doing his best work and a potential Inglewood arena in the planning." The Clippers this season "aren’t tanking," even though it "will cost them their only first-round draft pick if they don’t make the lottery." Owner Steve Ballmer said that he "couldn’t stomach it, and would never dare sell it." He said, “Our fans can and should expect more than that. That also should be attractive to players. You come here, you know we play to win every year, every year, every year.” Plaschke notes because the Clippers "haven’t tanked, they have entertained" so far this season, currently sitting at fourth in the Western Conference (L.A. TIMES, 12/12).
DOUBLE VISION: ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst wrote the Clippers are "rather transparently obsessed with chasing Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant in free agency next summer." They have been "treating the two like college recruits and sending executives just to watch numerous Warriors and Raptors games so they're visible." The Clips "brought on NBA legend Jerry West and respected journalist Lee Jenkins to the front office in an effort to prepare a grand slam pitch when the time is right." While other NBA teams have conducted similar moves, the Clips' pursuit of the free-agents-to-be is "still a little revolutionary." Raptors officials have "noticed a Clippers employee" at roughly 75% of the team's games thus far this season. It is "all part of what looks to be a master plan" by Ballmer. His vision is to "land Leonard or Durant -- or both, as long as they're swinging for the fences -- and then ride them to glory and a new arena in Inglewood that could turn the Clippers into one of the premier franchises in the league" (ESPN.com, 12/11). ESPN’s Jalen Rose said of both Durant and Leonard possibly ending up with the Clips, “This would be a game-changing move for the Clippers to now catapult them into the conversation of being the best” (“Get Up,” ESPN, 12/12). Rose added if both Durant and Leonard end up with the Clips, it would be “great theater for the NBA” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 12/12).
CITY OF ANGELS & DEMONS: ESPN’s Mike Greenberg: “Let us bring up the elephant in the room, which is that a week ago, we were sitting here having a conversation about how Kevin Durant questioned why would Kawhi Leonard want to go play with LeBron James and called the atmosphere around LeBron James toxic. Now here we are a week later, and we have rumors of KD and Kawhi together in L.A.? Come on.” Rose: “He was poisoning the well. He was doing a soft sell to Kawhi Leonard through the media. He basically said, ‘You don't want to go run with LeBron James. That atmosphere is toxic, too many media members hanging around and fan boys cheering for him. You want to come run with me.’” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said, “If KD and Kawhi go to the Clippers, we ain’t talking about the Lakers winning the championships within the four-year period that LeBron is there. You almost have to get Anthony Davis if you're the Los Angeles Lakers if Kawhi and KD end up with the Clippers” (“Get Up,” ESPN, 12/12).
