[The following submission is from the Los Angeles Clippers, run by students in the mock deadline practicum at the SBC Las Vegas Immersive.]

Assignment: Los Angeles Clippers

Team Members: Jack Maguire, Keisha Hargo, Jaydon Boyer, Jackson Kowalski, Julia Shermer, Nate Robinson

The consensus opinion amongst our staff is that the Clippers have one of the top rosters in the NBA when healthy can win a championship NOW. The returns of our All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were equivalent to making major off-season acquisitions.

Our biggest weaknesses, though relatively minor, were at power forward and center. We needed to get tougher down low and improve our rim protection. With Ivica Zubac as our only true rotation big, we wanted to avoid a situation where we would be forced to play small if he lost time due to injury or got into foul trouble in an important game. We also set out to improve our ball-handling beyond newcomer John Wall and incumbent Reggie Jackson (who is more is more of a scorer at point guard).

 

Our first trade was with the San Antonio Spurs for Zach Collins and Josh Richardson. We sent out Marcus Morris Sr., Brandon Boston Jr. and a swap of our 2023 first-rounder (the Oklahoma City Thunder have initial swap rights). Collins provides a rim-protection upgrade, and his switchability provides us an additional level of flexibility over Zubac. Richardson adds another shooter (44 percent from three-point range last season) and scoring with complementary playmaking ability to take pressure off of Wall and Jackson. Morris was expendable because he just wouldn’t get the minutes this season. We had concerns he’d be unhappy in a smaller role.

We signed Dwight Howard to fill the shot-blocking role. We felt his off-court value was just as high as locker room presence with championship experience. We also sent Luke Kennard and a 2024 second-rounder to Orlando Magic for Terrance Ross. Kennard was impactful last season, but we didn’t think he would have the same impact with fewer touches with George and Leonard. Ross’ numbers should improve on a better team with an element of athleticism and shot creation that takes the pressure off our All-Stars. 

With our series of moves, we increased our versatility. Our elite wing defense is now complemented by improved rim protection. Richardson and Ross will allow George and Leonard to manage their minutes throughout the season, so they’re fresh for the playoffs. Our roster can play small against a team like the Golden State Warriors, big against the Minnesota Timberwolves, or we can display our offensive versatility and defensive prowess against a young team like the Memphis Grizzlies.

Every player we acquired is on an expiring contract. Even though the luxury tax isn’t a significant concern when building the roster, these trades improved our flexibility including getting out of Kennard’s extension. We believe top to bottom this roster stacks up with any team in the NBA.

Trade 1

  • Clippers received: Zach Collins and Josh Richardson.
  • San Antonio received: Marcus Morris Sr., Brandon Boston Jr. and swap rights on the lower 2023 first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder or Clippers.

Trade 2

  • Clippers received Terrance Ross.
  • Orlando Magic received Luke Kennard and a 2024 second-rounder.

Other

  • Signed Dwight Howard to a two-year, minimum contract (second season $500,000 guaranteed).

–Nate Robinson