In the 2019 offseason, the Clippers shocked the NBA with two major acquisitions. They signed Kawhi Leonard in free agency and traded for Paul George. Clippers fans were hopeful that these two additions would finally bring a Championship to the Clippers. However, injuries hurt them yearly and they only had one healthy season together. That came in the 2020-21 season in which they made it to the Conference Finals. In their five seasons together, the Clippers never reached the NBA Finals. Furthermore, now that Paul George has signed a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, is it time for the Clippers to start a rebuild?
One major factor for why the Clippers might be hesitant to start a rebuild is they are opening a new arena. With the Clippers opening a new arena, they will want star talent to help put fans in the stands every game. Having Kawhi Leonard and James Harden on your roster will do that. However, we will look at why starting a rebuild is still the best move for the Clippers even with them opening a new arena.
This Western Conference Team Should Highly Consider a Rebuild
They Didn’t do Enough to Replace Paul George
The Clippers with Paul George were already declining in the Western Conference. Other teams like the Thunder, Mavericks, and Timberwolves had already passed them. Now, with Paul George leaving it makes their situation even worse. In addition, the Clippers didn’t do enough this offseason to replace George. The Clippers are hoping the additions of Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum, Kevin Porter Jr., and Kris Dunn will help. However, even though they are good role players it won’t be enough to help them compete in a deep Western Conference.
Furthermore, teams that were just behind the Clippers, like the Kings, and Pelicans all got better. There is a good chance the Clippers with this group may not even make the play-in tournament next year. If that does happen is it worth it to keep Harden and Kawhi just because you want to help put fans in the stand of the new arena? It just seems like the Clippers are better off trading those two players and starting a full-on rebuild.
You Can’t Rely on Harden and Leonard Anymore
Another reason as to why the Clippers should start a rebuild is they can’t rely on Harden or Leonard anymore. James Harden is entering his age 35 season and is not the same player he once was. He isn’t the player who can go out and score 30 points on a night-to-night basis anymore. To go along with that, since the 2019-20 NBA season his points per game has been on a steady decline. He only averaged 16.6 points per game last year, which was his lowest since his days when he was on the Thunder. At this point in his career, he is mostly a pass-first type of guy looking to get others involved.
On the other side is Kawhi Leonard who also can’t be relied upon anymore either. It seems like every year he is dealing with some kind of injury that is keeping him out of very important games. Kawhi is a little bit younger than Harden with him being 33 however, he is not the same player he was either. He is still a great scorer, but just like Harden his points per game have been on the decline since the 2019-20 season. In addition, he is not the defender he once was either as he hasn’t made an all-defensive team since the 2021 season. Finally, with Harden and Leonard both being on a decline, it just makes too much sense for the Clippers to try and get something in return for those players and start a rebuild.
The Clippers Don’t Control Their First-Round Pick Until 2030
Finally, the last reason why the Clippers should start a rebuild, is they don’t have control of their first-round pick until 2030. When the Clippers made the trade with the Thunder to acquire Paul George they traded five first-round picks and two pick swaps. Then the Clippers traded even more first-round picks when they acquired James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers. They traded away their whole future and are now paying for it. However, if they start a rebuild and trade Harden and Kawhi they should be able to get some first-round picks back in return. In addition, they have other players as well to get more first-round picks back as well. They could get around four to six first-round picks if they enter a rebuild and trade away their veteran players which will help them in their rebuilding process.
The Last Word on The Clippers’ Rebuild
Finally, a big reason as to why the Clippers are hesitant to start a rebuild is the new arena. They want to have fans in the stands with them opening up the new arena. If they trade away their star talent and fully commit to a rebuild. It will be hard for them to get fans excited and come to the arena for their home games. However, with the things we listed above, it just makes too much sense for them not to. If things don’t go their way to begin the season, they should highly consider entering a rebuild at the deadline by trading away Kawhi and Harden.
