ESPN Ranks Lakers, Clippers Among Top NBA Title Contenders

The Clippers were in a transition year, allowing Paul George to leave in free agency and trading Russell Westbrook in the 2024 offseason, while also adding critical defensive pieces in Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, and Nicolas Batum.

While the Lakers always have high expectations with LeBron James at the helm, the Clippers defied odds and earned the 5th seed in the Western Conference with another 50-win season.

What moves did they make?

The Lakers had a glaring issue at the center position. With the acquisition of Luka Doncic, the Lakers traded away one of the best centers in the NBA, Anthony Davis. They were left with a center rotation of Jaxson Hayes, Trey Jemison, and Christian Koloko heading into the playoffs after the Mark Williams trade with Charlotte fell through.

So, in the offseason, they swung and missed at Clint Capela, Brook Lopez, Walker Kessler, and Al Horford. But DeAndre Ayton was bought out by the Portland Trailblazers, and the Lakers immediately snagged him, giving Luka Doncic a solid rim-running big.

They rounded out their roster with additions such as defensive-minded Marcus Smart, who was also bought out, and Jake LaRavia, who will essentially be their Dorian Finney-Smith replacement.

The Clippers knew what era they were in. Still, after winning 18 of 21 games heading into the playoffs and taking the Denver Nuggets to seven games, the front office believed that if they could add around the edges, the Clippers could become a contender again.

The Clippers traded Norman Powell for the highly athletic John Collins from Utah, signed Brook Lopez to back up Ivica Zubac, added Bradley Beal to replace Norman Powell after a buyout, and signed Chris Paul to be the backup point guard in a return home.

So, where do they rank amongst the league's best teams?

A new article by ESPN's Kevin Pelton and Tim Bontemps revealed which tier of contenders the two Los Angeles teams are in.

"Cap flexibility is clearly the plan for the two L.A. teams plus Miami, all of which have been careful in handing out long-term contracts. All three have realistic paths to max-level cap space next summer but are more likely to clear the books in 2027, when multiyear MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic could become unrestricted free agents barring extensions," they wrote.

With both teams operating cautiously with multiple superstar free agents looming in a few years, they said, "But there's a difference in how each L.A. team is building its 2026-27 roster. The Clippers are all-in on veterans, having added 38-year-old Brook Lopez and 40-year-old to a deep bench. The Lakers, by contrast, are hoping to find long-term contributors by signing younger players in Deandre Ayton (27) and Jake LaRavia (23)."

The Clippers and Lakers are set to have a significant amount of cap space in the next two offseasons, but that did not stop them from building contending teams in the short term.