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The Clippers find themselves in a unique situation as they are trying to do a rebuild while still remaining competitive for playoff contention. As we all know the team traded away their star Blake Griffin this past season in exchange for a 2018 Pistons pick, Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic. The team now has two picks in the lottery, however there is some talk about whether the Clippers should keep both picks or package them to get into the top 10. For years the Clippers have been known as the other team of Los Angeles. Could this offseason push them over the edge with rumours of Kawhi and Lebron? For now we will focus on what their options are for this upcoming draft.
Option #1: Draft Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton can be the starting point guard for the Clippers moving forward. My mock draft along with others have him being available for the Clippers by the 12th selection. The Clippers will be getting an improved version of Patrick Beverley. Like Beverley, Sexton offers a very high defensive intensity. He is a bulldog on the court, constantly trying to outwork others and constantly looking to improve his game. For the Clippers, you can build with him and a potential wing player like either of the Bridges or Lonnie Walker IV with their other lottery pick to build a nice young core. He will develop into a nice two-way player in the NBA.
Option #2: Draft Kevin Knox
The very young freshman from Kentucky did not put up eye-dropping stats like some of his peers but his potential upside is one of the highest in the draft. He is very young and will have need time to develop into an impactful player for a team like the Clippers. He is a versatile scorer who is small for the power forward position. He will be an issue on defence as he did not show much effort on that end of the court this past season at Kentucky. He has drawn comparisons to fellow Clipper Tobias Harris who has the body of a small forward but plays the power forward. We will see how he adjusts, but everyone should remember he is not even 19 yet.
Option #3: Lonnie Walker IV
Walker has the potential to be a good scorer in the NBA. His shooting was decent throughout the college season, however he needs to improve his shot discipline. Defensively he will be able to guard either guard positions as he stands 6'4. He will need to improve his ball-handling and his passing vision for the next level, but his biggest contribution will be his scoring. The Clippers will be a team without a superstar, if they do not land a big name free agent or pull off a trade for Kawhi, in this case Walker will be able to take on some of the scoring responsibilities of the team and be a nice addition as a wing player. He could be a reliable starter or a nice sixth man to lead the second unit for years to come.
Option #4: Trade the 12th and 13th picks to move up to a top 8 pick
Now this has been a rumoured trade after it was revealed the Clippers had two lottery picks. Realistically the two picks together will probably get them at best the 7th pick. The Clippers have expressed interest in Michael Porter Jr. who could be available to them at the 7th or 8th pick. Porter is one of the riskiest picks in this draft, as teams are evaluating his upside potential based off his high school career. Porter was once considered the best player in this draft class because his potential to become a star in the league. At 6'11 he offers a strong offensive game with his scoring versatility and his ball-handling skills. He did suffer a back injury this season and missed most of the season. For the 2-3 games he did play, he hurt his draft stock as he looked uncomfortable and the court and struggled badly.
He is one of the biggest wild cards though, as I predict he could either go top 3 if a team wants to take a risk or he could fall to the 7, 8, or 9 pick. If he is not available at pick 7 or 8, the Clippers could select another risky pick with Trae Young. Trae offers strong shooting ability and is capable of being a good playmaker in the league. He will need to improve his shot selection and not force his shots. He is small and will be a defensive liability but he does have a star potential in the league like Porter.
With either of these two, the Clippers would be getting a star to build around for their franchise if not a secondary or tertiary scorer once they become contenders.
Option #5: Package the 12th,13th pick, with Tobias Harris to Memphis for the 4th pick
So by jumping into the top 5, the Clippers give themselves the opportunity to either select Porter for certain or grab some of the top talents such as Bagley, Jackson Jr., or Doncic. Bagley and Doncic will certainly add offensively to the Clippers and provide some star presence for the team moving forward. While Jaren Jackson Jr. will add with his two-way game.
Marvin Bagley is a very skilled offensive big man who will give you 20 and 10 and produce eye dropping stats similar to Deandre Ayton. However he does have some defensive issues that will need to be fixed for the next level. Doncic is the best prospect coming out of Europe in NBA history. He has achieved everything he possibly could while playing for Real Madrid, winning Euroleague MVP, Final Four MVP, and a Euroleague championship. He will be a force to be reckon with, as he has drawn comparisons to Manu Ginobili and James Harden. Jackson Jr. won't give the stats like Doncic or Bagley, but he will be impactful. He may not be a franchise centrepiece, but his ability to defend and score effectively could make him one of the better two-way players in the league in the future.
By trading Harris, the Clippers will no longer be staying competitive and will be undergoing a more traditional rebuild. Jerry West and the team need to decide what kind of rebuild they want to do. If they want to stay competitive they should keep both picks and keep Harris. They could draft 2 solid players from a selection pool of Sexton, Walker IV, and Knox. Any pair of those players would help the team now and be effective for the next few years.
