Paul George recently left the LA Clippers, leaving the team scrambling for a new major player to fill his place this offseason.
NBA insider Sean Deveney reported that the Clippers are looking for ways to fill the gap George left behind after deciding to become a free agent and later signing with the Sixers. According to Deveney’s report, an anonymous Western Conference executive suggested the Clippers could be aiming to acquire New York Knicks’ Julius Randle as they rebuild their team with Kawhi Leonard as the frontrunner.
“[The Knicks] do not have a lot of options trying to find a team to take Randle. There’s not a lot of teams you can drop him into the lineup and they’d be fine, and there’s not a lot of teams that want to match up contracts there,” the executive said. “But the Clippers could. They want another star for that group.”
Deveney floated the idea that the Clippers could send centers PJ Tucker and Ivica Zubac to the Knicks; after all, with Isaiah Hartenstein moving to Oklahoma City, the Knicks could use another center. However, this trade would leave the Clippers with only Mo Bamba and Kai Jones as their center, effectively handicapping their frontcourt manpower.
Randle played in 46 games last season, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists and earning his third All-Star selection. He got sidelined for most of the second half of the season with a shoulder injury.
The former Kentucky Wildcat is under contract with the Knicks until the 2024–25 season, with a nearly $31 million player option for 2025–26. The Athletic’s Fred Katz reported that he could sign an extension deal worth up to $181.5 million over four years on Aug. 3, but this might make it challenging for the Knicks to pursue other stars.
A look at the LA Clippers’ offseason
Aside from losing Paul George, the Los Angeles Clippers also lost Mason Plumlee to the Phoenix Suns, Daniel Theis to the New Orleans Pelicans, and Russell Westbrook to the Denver Nuggets. In turn, they have signed Derrick Jones Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Nicolas Batum, and Mo Bamba. They also acquired Kris Dunn after the Westbrook trade and re-signed James Harden and Kai Jones.
With George gone, the Clippers will be building their team around Leonard, who is considered one of the top two-way forwards in the NBA.
A healthy Leonard is a force to be reckoned with. He posted an average of 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 68 games last season, becoming a six-time All-Star.
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