After losing Paul George, the Clippers completed two reinforcements, they signed Jones for 3 years with a mid-level exception of 10 million annual salary, and completed a 2-year contract with Porter Jr. Coupled with the 70 million two-year signing back of Harden, the Clippers can be regarded as the initial completion of the basic layout. George joined Philadelphia for nothing, and the Clippers must have lost blood. But there is no way, the two sides really can't get along. Now the Clippers can only break a penny into two cents.
Building on the build around Harden and Leonard, see what changes these newcomers can bring. Needless to say, Jones is a 3D striker. The 24-year-old Porter Jr. can expect a hand, because of domestic violence last season, he was traded by the Rockets to the Thunder. But he didn't lose much money, as the Thunder later cut Porter and had to pay the remaining $15.86 million in his guaranteed contract. Next season, the Thunder will have to pay Porter Jr. $1 million, which is equivalent to 16.86 million for nothing, and he has maintained his form overseas.
The last time Porter Jr. played was in the 22-23 season, where he averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 34.3 minutes per game, shooting 44.2% from the field and 36.6% from three-point range. That year, Porter Jr. overpowered Jalen Green with the Rockets and became the team's nominal boss. While playing overseas, Porter Jr. signed with Greek league team PAOK. He averaged 22 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, shooting 46.7% from the field, two gears higher than anyone else in the league.
Porter Jr. has excellent offensive ability with the ball, as well as excellent catch-and-shoot ability. With the Rockets, Porter Jr. shot 41 percent from three-point range. If it weren't for the domestic violence problem, maybe Porter Jr. would replace Jalen Green as the Rockets' starter this season. Because it is obvious that Porter Jr. plays better than Green, Green is 22 years old, and Porter Jr. is 2 years older than him. But the physical fitness of Porter Jr. is more fierce, with a height of 1.98 meters, excellent athleticism, and sufficient confrontation ability.
In order to get Porter Jr., the Cavaliers paid 5 second-round picks and 5 million cash to buy the 30th pick. Porter Jr.'s drop to the 30th pick is mainly a personality issue, a bit of a thorny problem child like Jimmy Butler. But as long as there is a big brother, the town is not a big problem, and the Clippers have Harden, Porter Jr.'s favorite player. Porter Jr. has been praising Harden in public during his years with the Rockets, saying that he is his idol and his own style of play is also learning from Harden.
This time the zero-distance contact with idols is also a good opportunity for little Porter to grow. His offensive ability is definitely a help to the Clippers, and he even has the ability to counterattack and become the Clippers' starter. Porter Jr. faced the Bucks in '21 and scored a horrific statistic of 50 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds. He can hold the ball and play without the ball, and his own defense is quite good, and he has excellent lateral movement and single defense, and few people can eat him alone. It wouldn't be surprising if Porter Jr. became the starting quarterback on the Clippers. Harden held the ball and cut inside, Zubac blocked and dismantled, and Porter Jr. pulled away from the outside to catch the ball and shoot a three-pointer.
With Harden off the court, Porter Jr. can also lead the team forward, he spent a year at point guard with the Rockets, and he knows how to connect teammates. Compared to the Clippers' promotion of Mann to point guard, Porter Jr. can release pressure on Harden on the offensive end. Now that Harden can't play every round like he did in the past, Porter Jr.'s youthful energy can bring more reliable firepower than Wei Shao. After all, Wei Shao did not project on the outside, and the share per round was too high. Of course, Porter Jr. is betting on next year, and the final year of his two-year contract is a player option, and he can jump out of the contract at any time. He bet on playing a big contract next to Harden for a year, because many players are getting big contracts next to Harden.