LA Clippers offseason player movements paint a hazy picture for the 2023-24 NBA season as two stars leave Los Angeles. Kawhi Leonard And James Harden Will she be able to carry the team as it begins the season in a brand new arena? Or will injuries once again take their toll, leaving new head coach Ty Lue in a bad spot?
LA Clippers offseason: review so far
Clippers’ offseason opens to new era with new home
The LA Clippers’ offseason has been quite the eventful one as the NBA inches closer to the start of training camp. For the Clippers, this summer has been a pivotal one for the franchise. Intuit Dome officially opened on August 15. The Clippers, commonly known as The LA Basement Teamwill finally be leaving Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) for good and will begin a new saga for the organization on its home turf. The new basketball and multi-purpose arena in Inglewood has already been named as the host of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
During the Clippers’ offseason, the head coach’s contract extension Ty Lue was also remarkable. Lue is coming off a gold medal in Paris as an assistant coach. He will now enter a new era of the Clippers with a new contract. The Clippers’ roster has also seen a shakeup this offseason. While two top stars left, some important additions in the form of role players arrived.
Departures of key players
Russell Westbrook He certainly had a better time with the Clippers than he did with LA’s other team, the Lakers. His fit was more suited to the Clippers’ style of play. Unfortunately, Westbrook is on the move again this offseason, leaving the Clippers to join the Denver Nuggets. The biggest roster change was Paul George exit for the The Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent. The partnership between George and Leonard never fully blossomed. Injuries were a thorn in each player’s side throughout their time together. Now a member of the 76ers, George is in a much better situation and has a better chance of going deep into the playoffs.
Other off-season departures included Mason Plumlee And Daniel Theis,
Acquisitions of key players
Despite losing George and Westbrook, the Clippers haven’t been able to bring in a star to replace them. That said, the additions of Nicolas Batum And Derrick Jones Jr. should be reliable secondary acquisitions. Jones and Batum played well for their teams last year as supporting pieces. As for Batum, he will be entering his second season with the Clippers, after spending three previous seasons with them from 2021-23. Kevin Porter Jr. And Kris Dunn also signed with the Clippers during the offseason.
Confusing outlook for the 2023-24 season
As exciting and motivating as it is to play in a brand new arena and kick off a new era for your franchise, it’s hard to predict how the upcoming season will play out for the Clippers. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard remain. However, Leonard’s injury history is bleak, leaving little reason to express confidence that things will be any different this year. Being cut from Team USA before the Olympics began couldn’t have made things any better from an outside perspective. While Harden still plays exceptionally well at times and lights up the backboard, he’s no longer able to carry teams.
The Clippers may well find themselves out of the playoff race once all is said and done. Whether the season plays out that way or not, missing the playoffs will not be a great start to a new era of Los Angeles Clippers basketball, whether or not they have a brand new, state-of-the-art arena.
