I don't think the Clippers are going to use up their cap space this offseason on one max player unless its LeBron.
Shane Battier is another guy I won't mind going after, along with Andrei Kirilenko if the Jazz throw in #9
Shane would be the best IMO, the Rockets have a lot of SF's and even though Yao is coming back, there is still a 50% chance he'll get hurt again, so I could see the Rockets moving Shane to get another big to back-up Yao.
Shane also has a smaller contract, so the Clips could could sill theoretically go after a max free-agent and have space to sign a couple of players, though I doubt any max guy is going to the Clippers.
Rights to Sofoklis S. + #54 to the OKC Thunder for Eric Maynor
Thunder get a post presence and can take Sherron Collins with #54. Clippers get their backup point guard until Baron is ready to step away from the game.
S&T Travis Outlaw to the Minnesota Timberwolves for #23 (Damion James) + #45 (Omar Samhan)
Wolves get a decent SF, Clippers deal a guy who most likely won't resign and get something decent in return. Samhan was a 20/10 center who will bring size and have a chance in training camp.
Trade #8 to the Houston Rockets for #14, Houston/Knicks (since Houston has rights to swap 1sts with Knicks in 2011, top 1 protected).
Rockets move up for Monroe, Clippers move down to take Xavier Henry and hope the Knicks strike out in free agency.
Rasual Butler is resigned at a 3 year/12 mil deal.
Craig Smith is resigned at a 4 years/18 mil deal.
Josh Childress is signed at a 2 year/13 mil deal.
Anthony Johnson signs for vet minimum.
Mike Miller signs a 3 year/21 mil deal.
Theo Ratliff signs for vet minimum.
CE: Chris Kaman | DeAndre Jordan | Theo Ratliff
PF: Blake Griffin | Craig Smith
SF: Josh Childress | Rasual Butler | Damion James
SG: Eric Gordon | Mike Miller | Xavier Henry
PG: Baron Davis | Eric Maynor | Anthony Johnson
Don't like it as much as the others, but still think its well enough.
I don't think the Clippers are going to use up their cap space this offseason on one max player unless its LeBron.
Shane Battier is another guy I won't mind going after, along with Andrei Kirilenko if the Jazz throw in #9
Really, why do you say that?
There's got to be some players who might be enticed to come here given the talent on this team already. And LA is a great place to live. But yeah, there's the Clippers curse.
There's got to be some players who might be enticed to come here given the talent on this team already. And LA is a great place to live. But yeah, there's the Clippers curse.
I just don't think overpaying Joe Johnson or Rudy Gay will be the right move, and I hope the front office sees it that way as well. I'm a fan of both players, and though JJ will be the perfect fit, he isn't good enough to help the team take the leap. I'm starting to think that LeBron is becoming more and more of a possibility.
Chris Kaman to the T'Wolves for Ramon Sessions, Corey Brewer, Ryan Hollins, #45 (Kevin Seraphin) & #56 (Alexy Shved)
Saw this posted on another board, but changed Gomes to Hollins since Hollins contract is shorter and he'd be a decent 3rd/4th big man off the bench for the next two years. If Wolves deal Jefferson, a Love-Kaman front court could be really nice.
#8 & #54 to the Pacers for #10 (Paul George) & #34 (Greivis Vasquez)
Pacers move up two spots to take a guy they might have their eyes on. Clippers move down to get George along with drafting a decent third point guard early in the 2nd round.
S&T Travis Outlaw to the Thunder for #32 (Nemanja Bjelica)
Thunder get an okay replacement for Jeff Green if they use him to acquire a big man in Outlaw, who can play the 3/4 and is a pretty decent defender. Clippers add in a foreign prospect.
Sign Brendan Haywood to a 4 year/28 million deal.
Sign Sofoklis S to a 4 year deal with the last 2 years being team options.
Bring back Rasual Butler and Craig Smith.
Sign Marquis Daniels to a 1 year deal at the vet minimum
Baron Davis | Ramon Sessions | Greivis Vasquez
Eric Gordon | Rasual Butler
Corey Brewer | Paul George | Marquis Daniels
Blake Griffin | Craig Smith | Sofoklis S.
Brendan Haywood | DeAndre Jordan | Ryan Hollins
*Rights Too: Kevin Seraphin, Alexy Shved, Nemanja Bjelica*
Get no superstar players, but a deep squad with versatility off the bench as Vasquez is tall enough to spot time at the SG position. George, Butler & Daniels can play both wing positions (Daniels is a decent point forward as well) and Griffin/Brewer are versatile starters as well. Not to mention, getting draft rights to three players, two of which I think can be solid role players in the league for years to come.
Got this idea off another board (N.O.R.E. from RealGm), but added my twists to it.
Kings Trade: Andres Nocioni, Rights to Wesley Johnson (#5th pick)
Kings Receive: Chris Kaman, Rights to Sofoklis Schorsianitis, Option to swap 1st Round Picks in 2011 (Top 3 Protected)
Kings get out of Noci's deal but get an All-Star Center in return. Only do this deal if Derrick Favors & Demarcus Cousins are off the board by the time they pick
Clippers Trade: Chris Kaman, Rights to Sofoklis Schorsianitis, Option to swap 1st Round Picks in 2011 (Top 3 Protected)
Clippers Receive: Andres Nocioni, Rights to Wesley Johnson (#5th pick)
Clippers move up in the draft and fill a position of need.
With the 8th pick, the Clippers select Greg Monroe.
In free agency, Clippers retain Craig Smith & Rasual Butler.
-Both Butler and Rhino played solid minutes off the bench and could be used the same way once again, but in more limited minutes.
Sign Luke Ridnour
-Solid backup point guard, pretty much the same as Steve Blake, but I don't expect Blake to return. Earl Watson would be my second choice
Sign Theo Ratliff
-Veteran big man to tutor DeAndre and could play solid spot minutes
Sign James Singleton
-High energy hustle player, provides the bench with more versatility
Sign & trade Travis Outlaw to the Washington Wizards for Quinton Ross and the draft rights too Greivis Vasquez (#30)
-Vasquez could be a solid prospect to look at for the next couple of years due to his passing skills and the fact that he is 6'6" while Ross will be our designated defender off the bench once again.
PG: Baron Davis | Luke Ridnour | Greivis Vasquez
SG: Eric Gordon | Rasual Butler | Quinton Ross
SF: Wesley Johnson | Andres Nocioni
PF: Blake Griffin | Craig Smith | James Singleton
CE: DeAndre Jordan | Greg Monroe | Theo Ratliff
I don't know why, but I firmly believe LeBron will be joining the Clippers if we acquire Bosh, so here's a trade idea:
Raptors Trade: S&T Bosh, Jarret Jack, Jose Calderon, #13
Raptors Receive: Blake Griffin, Mike Bibby, Kirk Hinrich, Future Minnesota First via Clippers
(Follow up trade of Bibby to the Kings for Andres Nocioni #33)
Raptors feel like they'll lose Bosh regardless, so they dump the contract of Calderon, get last years top pick, a solid point guard, an early 2nd and a gritty small forward. Hinrich-DeRozan-Turkoglu-Griffin-Bargnani
Hawks Trade: Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams, #24
Hawks Receive: Baron Davis
Hawks persuade Johnson to stay and get a solid point guard for him to work with. Baron - Crawford - Johnson - Smith - Horford
Bulls Trade: Kirk Hinrich, #17
Bulls Receive: Jose Calderon, #8
Bulls sign Amare and decide to swallow Calderon's contract to move up 9 spots in the draft. Take Henry at #8 and roll with Rose-Henry-Deng-Amare-Noah
Clippers Trade: Blake Griffin, Baron Davis, #8, Future Minnesota First
Clippers Receive: Chris Bosh, Jarret Jack, #17, #24
Clippers do this because LeBron wants to play with Bosh, and even though they might overpay, they dump Baron's contract to get enough for Bosh & LeBron, plus, I believe a Bosh/Kaman duo is better than Bosh/Griffin. With #17, Sanders is taken and Stephenson at #24. Resign Butler, Novak & Rhino. Bring back Mike Taylor and Livingston. Bring Sofo over and sign Mike Miller to minimum Depth Chart:
Chris Kaman | DeAndre Jordan | Larry Sanders
Chris Bosh | Craig Smith | Sofo
LeBron James | Mike Miller | Steve Novak
Eric Gordon | Rasual Butler | Lance Stephenson
Jarret Jack | Shaun Livingston | Mike Taylor
Clippers trade TPE, Rights to Sofoklis, Lottery Protected 2011 1st (Top 7 in 2012, Top 3 in 2013) to the Philadelphia 76ers for Andre Igoudala.
76ers draft turner with #2, pick up a decent prospect and get a future first. Also get a huge TPE they can use. Holiday-Turner-Young-Speights-Hawes with a bench of Williams-Green-Kapono-Nocioni-Brand-Sofoklis-Smith
Clippers get the perfect small forward to compliment Griffin and Gordon on the wings.
Clippers trade #8 to the Memphis Grizzlies for Mike Conley, #12 (Xavier Henry) and #28 (Larry Sanders)
Memphis moves up for Paul George, Gay's replacement and gets their replacement point guard at #25 with Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe-Mayo-George-ZBo-Gasol with a bench of FA - Brewer - Young - Carroll - Arthur - Haddadi - Thabeet
Resign Craig Smith, Rasual Butler since both are solid bench players.
Sign Theo Ratliff & Anthony Johnson for veteran presence and depth.
Sign Ime Udoka for a defensive option off the bench, if not available, bring back Quinton Ross. Maybe go with both if full 15 player roster is utilized.
CE: Chris Kaman | DeAndre Jordan | Theo Ratliff
PF: Blake Griffin | Craig Smith | Larry Sanders
SF: Andre Igoudala | Rasual Butler | Ime Udoka
SG: Eric Gordon | Xavier Henry | Quinton Ross
PG: Baron Davis | Mike Conley | Anthony Johnson
Another one, which I don't think many will like but here it is:
Clippers trade G Baron Davis to the Toronto Raptors for F Hidayet Turkoglu, G Jarret Jack, Rights to Paul George (#13)
Raptors dump Hedo's contract at the cost of a solid point guard and their lottery pick. Baron might be enough to convince Bosh to say and can make a deadly pick and pop combination with Bosh & Bargnani up front. Clippers get a solid small forward, a good point guard and the best draft pick for the team.
Clippers Trade TPE to the Chicago Bulls for G Kirk Hinrich and a lottery protected 2012 1st Round Pick (If Lottery, Clippers receive 2012 and 2013 2nd Round Picks + $3 million in cash)
Bulls clear up more cap space in their free agent hopes, while the Clippers get a solid guard off the bench and a future first round pick
Clippers S&T Travis Outlaw to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rights to Alexy Shved
Thunder pick up a solid swing man, Clippers get something in return for him
Clippers trade rights to Sofoklis Schortsianitis to the New York Knicks for the rights to Nemanja Bjelica (#38) & 2012 2nd Round Pick.
Knicks get a better PF prospect, while the Clippers gain their 5th pick in the 2012 draft
Free Agency:
Sign Craig Smith to a 2 year/$7 million contract
-Perfect backup power forward, a bruiser who will come in and provide an offensive spark
Sign Rasual Butler to a 1 year/$3.9 million contract
-Butler played really well for the Clippers this past season, and will thrive in a reduced role off the bench and can help tutor George even moreso.
Sign Quinton Ross to a 1 year minimum contract
-Ross is a good defender who will play in certain situations and provides depth. Plus, he can knock down the corner jumper
Sign Steve Novak to a 1 year minimum contract
-Just like Ross, Novak is a situational player who will be used to knock down shots.
Sign Brian Skinner to a 1 year minimum contract
-Depth reasons and to tutor Udoh and Jordan on the defensive end. Won't play unless major injury concerns
-Sign Anthony Johnson to a 1 year minimum contract
Johnson is a solid third point guard option due to his experience and will push Kirk and Jack in practice.
CE: Chris Kaman | DeAndre Jordan | Brian Skinner
PF: Blake Griffin | Craig Smith | Ekpe Udoh
SF: Hidayet Turkoglu | Paul George | Steve Novak
SG: Eric Gordon | Rasual Butler | Quinton Ross
PG: Jarret Jack | Kirk Hinrich | Anthony Johnson
**Rights to Nemanja Bjelica & Alexy Shved**
With how bad Turk played for the Raps, a lot of people might not agree with bringing him in but I believe he can fit in nicely with our squad, not to mention Jack is a really solid replacement for Baron and gettng George & Udoh in the draft is a win.
The bench is also really deep in this situation with complementing big men in DeAndre & Rhino. George and Butler provide nice scoring and defense off the wings and Hinrich would start on a majority of teams in the league
Closer and closer we get to July 1st, the more I think the Clippers are going to make a move for Luol Deng. Something like Deng + Rights to Larry Sanders (#17) + Bobcats 2012 1st Round Pick for Sofo's rights is something I'd do. Use #8 on Xavier Henry. Bring back Rhino & Butler. Give Shaun Livingston a 3 year/14 mil deal, bring in Quinton Ross & Steve Novak for situational plays and sign a veteran point guard ala Anthony Johnson, Anthony Carter, Rafer Alston, Carlos Arroyo, Jamaal Tinsley, Earl Watson or a Kevin Ollie.
CE: Chris Kaman | DeAndre Jordan | Larry Sanders
PF: Blake Griffin | Craig Smith
SF: Luol Deng | Rasual Butler | Steve Novak
SG: Eric Gordon | Xavier Henry | Quinton Ross
PG: Baron Davis | Shaun Livingston | Kevin Ollie
I actually would like to see what Xavier Henry get taken at #8. I want the backcourt to have some size. I'm just not a fan of having two 6'3 guards in the backcourt together. Gives up too much size and its a reliability on defense. I been hearing it could be Gordon Hayward or Luke Babbit at #8.
Pacers get a point guard who can fit in well with Granger and get another solid wing prospect. Pacers can do the Rush/DeRozan swap or not.
Clippers Out: Baron Davis
Clippers In: Hidayet Turkoglu, Rush/DeRozan #13.
Clippers save more salary to go after a marquee free agent and add a lottery pick. Turk can play pretty well with our squad.
Follow up deal to this would be:
Hornets Out: Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor, James Posey (31 mil.)
Hornets In: DeMar DeRozan/Brandon Rush, Chris Kaman, 8th overall selection, Rights to Sofoklis Schorsianitis, 3 2nd Rounders, $3 mil cash
(Total salary: 14.2 mil)
Hornets save a ton of salary and get two really solid young players with DD/Rush along with the 8th pick. Plus, Sofo might end up being legit.
Collison - Thornton - Aminu? - West - Kaman with DD/Rush off the bench and whoever else they have.
Clippers Out: DeMar DeRozan/Brandon Rush, Chris Kaman, 8th overall selection, Rights to Sofoklis Schorsianitis, 3 2nd Rounders, $3 mil cash
Clippers In: Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor, James Posey
Just like in the other deal, Clippers take on a ton of future salary, but keep their two young pieces in Gordon & Griffin, while getting arguably the best point guard in the entire league. Use #13 on Avery Bradley, sign Rasual Butler and Craig Smith. Bring in some vets who want to win a ring like Anthony Johnson, Quentin Richardson, Steve Novak & Juwan Howard
Chris Paul | Avery Bradley | Anthony Johnson
Eric Gordon | Rasual Butler | Quentin Richardson
Hidayet Turkoglu | James Posey | Steve Novak
Blake Griffin | Craig Smith | Juwan Howard
Emeka Okafor | DeAndre Jordan
Re: What To Do This Summer?
