On the first day of the 2024 NBA free agent market, the Clippers became the biggest player in the league.
First of all, the Clippers renewed Harden's contract, and the two-year, $70 million contract is also quite reasonable in terms of value for money.
Secondly, the Clippers signed Kevin Porter Jr. with a two-year salary, bringing the court thorn back from the European arena, and it can be regarded as finding a younger and more powerful backup for Harden.
After that, the Clippers officially announced their complete breakup with George. Not only George, but veterans who have passed their prime, such as Wei Shao and Tucker, have also entered the team's cleanup list. And after this series operation, it seems that the Clippers will have a different way of living next season......
In fact, as early as last summer, the Clippers' team-building strategy underwent some subtle changes. Last offseason, they barely had any major operations, just minor fixes on top of the Pepper duo's system. At that time, a pessimistic view was that Ballmer's enthusiasm for basketball was gradually cooling down, and the Jin Yuan era that belonged to Boss Bao alone was probably coming to an end......
Although, in the course of last season, the Clippers initiated another big trade for Harden and renewed the contract of a small card in the middle of the season, in essence, the Clippers' financial throttling strategy has not changed because of these two seemingly sensational operations.
It is also along this logical line that after the season, the Clippers have reserved contract extension negotiations with Harden and George. Eventually, Harden accepted a two-year contract with a salary cut, but George didn't accept the Clippers' three-year offer. Outside the Clippers (especially in the East), there may have been teams offering higher prices for the peppers......
George's breakup with the Clippers is already a foregone conclusion, and many Clippers supporters will certainly regret the end of this five-year relationship, and they will certainly look for one reason or another. But in essence, George and the Clippers didn't dislike each other, and their breakup was more of a business act, except that labor and management couldn't agree on the standards of the new contract. Originally, George could have used his actual performance to get a bigger contract in this year's playoffs, but unfortunately, such a good opportunity was completely missed because of his slump......
The Clippers have been relegated, but Ballmer's investment in the team has not been a quick and bottomless halving. At least for a short period of time, they will have to maintain the basic decency of a championship-contending team, after all, the 2024-25 season is also extremely special for the Clippers.
Because 10 years after acquiring the Clippers, Boss Bao ushered in a new milestone moment. Next season will be the first season for the Clippers to start their journey in a new arena on their own, and after 25 years of sharing their home court with the Lakers and living in the shadow of the Purple and Gold for 25 years, they finally have their own home court.
So, at least this summer, the Clippers will still be renewing their roster in a more budget-conscious way while controlling their total investment. And the addition of Kevin Porter Jr. is a great addition from the management under the new operational ideas.
Porter Jr. has talent, there's no doubt about it. After all, he is only 24 years old, and in his last NBA season, he averaged 34.3 minutes per game, 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals. On the night of the peak of his career, he could even use a 50+11 game to knock the league's strongest outside defender Holiday to the ground.
There's no denying that Porter Jr. is also an emotional bomb who, if used incorrectly, can also become a huge source of instability for a team on and off the field. However, after breaking with the Cavaliers and Rockets one after another, and going to Europe to "wander for a living", people placed new hopes on Porter to "change his face". Will he be reborn under the Clippers? Will he be a reliable backup behind Harden? These questions seem to be enough to whet the appetite of the outside world.
Of course, the operation of the Clippers did not end. After parting ways with George, they also quickly developed a new plan, setting their sights on another available talent in the No. 3 slot, Klay Thompson.
Judging from the latest information, Klay has made up his mind to go to a new championship team after breaking with the Warriors. What's even more surprising is that, unlike the previous media hype of Clay's high-salary script, in reality, as long as a team is willing to give Clay the full middle class, it has a chance to get on the negotiating table for this signing. In addition, some sources revealed that the Clippers are not only interested in Klay, but also seem to be the frontrunner in the overall battle.
Theoretically, Klay's ball-holding attributes are significantly weaker than George's, and having him partner with Harden and Xiaoka in place of the latter will also provide a natural and reasonable solution to the problem of insufficient ball possession in the Clippers.
In addition, the three-point shot has always been one of the main axes of the Clippers' offensive system in recent years, last season, the Clippers' three-point shooting percentage ranked 6th in the league, and in the game, whether they can open the outside line and find a good three-point shooting opportunity by smoothly transferring the ball has also become the core key to the Clippers' victory.
But the Clippers relied on three-point efficiency on the one hand, and on the other hand, they ranked only 21st and 16th in three-point shooting and shooting percentage [last season], ranking last in the league. Therefore, next season, the Clippers need to increase the production of three-point shooting, and a shooter of historical level like Klay is naturally what they need the most......
Of course, in order to prevent Klay from falling into his home, the Clippers also launched Plan B early, signing Derrick Jones Jr. for 3 years and $30 million. Although George's departure has established the main tone of the Clippers' offseason consumption relegation, after giving up the fantasy of relying on the Big Three to compete for the championship, through more precise reinforcements, the Clippers have the opportunity to return to a rational track of dual-core leadership with high-quality role players......