Clippers Should Get Kevin Durant After Kawhi Leonard Trade

Lawrence Frank Says Clippers Will Be Competitive Next Year

While most fans and analysts view the Clippers as a team in decline now that Kawhi Leonard is on his way to the Toronto Raptors for Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick, Lawrence said that he expects the team to be highly competitive next season.

“We are going to be a highly competitive team this season, and Max will be a big part of it. He is a great shooter with good feel who can handle and pass. Max competes on both ends of the court, and his versatility allows him to play different roles with different groups. He fits anywhere, and we’re excited to bring him to L.A.,” Frank said in a statement posted to the Clippers’ website.

While the Clippers say they will be competitive, the decision to trade their best player, Leonard, is the exact opposite of that goal. Leonard was their best player last year and is one of the top-10 players in the NBA.

To make up for that, the best way for the Clippers to truly deliver a competitive team would be trading for Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant.

With just one year at $43.9 million left of guaranteed money on his deal, Durant would be a nice pickup for the Clippers if they truly plan to make a playoff push, like Frank says they plan to do.

They also have the pieces needed to get a deal done, and since they are slightly below the salary cap first apron right now, they can take back more salary in a trade than they send out.

With that in mind, here’s my proposal, assuming the Leonard deal goes through with Toronto first, paving the way for a subsequent deal with Houston for Durant.

The Clippers send Derrick Jones Jr. ($10.5 million) and sign-and-trade Bennedict Mathurin (three years and $60 million deal) to the Rockets for Durant. The Clippers can also include one of the draft picks they got from Toronto in the deal to sweeten the pot.

For the Clippers, they bring in one of the NBA’s biggest stars to replace the scoring they lose with the Leonard deal, while for the Rockets, they will pick up two valuable rotation pieces in Jones and Mathurin that will help them next year and going forward, plus a draft pick for good measure.

It’s a win-win trade for both teams, and one that they should both seriously consider.

Clippers’ Lineup With KD

If the Clippers pull off this proposed deal for Durant in exchange for Jones and Mathurin, this is what their lineup would look like next season:

PG: Darius Garland
SG: Keaton Wagler
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Brook Lopez

Bench: Kris Dunn, Bradley Beal, Gradey Dick, Rui Hachimura, Max Strus, Baba Miller, Kobe Sanders, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Jordan Miller, Johni Broome

You know what? This is actually a pretty good team, and one that could not only make the playoffs in the NBA’s Western Conference, but also win a round or two.

Given that the Clippers appeared to be rebuilding after announcing their intention to trade Leonard, bouncing back so quickly by picking up Durant from the Rockets would be impressive and fan-friendly.

It’s a move that the Clippers need to seriously consider if they plan to win, as their front office says they will.

The big question is whether the Clippers are truly willing to put their money where their mouths are and make a big move to win, rather than merely a rebuilding lottery team like most fans and analysts assume.