NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 660 Completion of Off-Season Operations

Chapter 660: Offseason Moves Completed. After the draft, the Clippers' moves were the subject of much discussion both online and offline. The focus of the discussion was who would be the Clippers' starting point guard next season. Rumors had circulated that they wanted to acquire Jeremy Grant, and now it seemed like that was indeed the case. But even if they got Grant, it wouldn't solve the starting point guard problem. Did they intend to have Brunson, who performed exceptionally well in last season's playoffs, start at point guard?

It's not impossible. Brunson is short but very tough. It's quite surprising that this rookie who was at the end of the first round is so good at playing tough games. But if he plays the starting point guard, who will play the backup point guard?

Will the Clippers make any further trades?

As the defending champions who have already established a dynasty, the Clippers' every move is the focus of the league's attention. Even if they only sign a second-round pick, it can still generate many articles from various media reporters.

Even a rookie on the Clippers can get exposure comparable to a lottery pick; sometimes it's really not easy to keep a low profile.

At 7:11 AM on November 21st, the 2020 NBA free agency market officially opened! On the first day of trading, deals worth over $10 billion were finalized! However, while this seems like a large sum, compared to the 2019 free agency market, this year's trade market was clearly affected by the severe cold! In 19, within just 6 hours of the free agency market opening, contracts worth over $26 billion were agreed upon!

The Clippers dropped a series of signings on the 21st, revealing the answer to the mystery. As for whether they will make any future trades, that's unknown, but at least from today onwards, their major moves have come to an end.

As soon as the free agency period opened at 7 a.m. on the 21st, NBA insider Shams Charania broke three of the Clippers' moves.

First: Paul George and the Clippers reached a contract extension agreement, with George receiving a four-year, $190 million maximum contract.

There's no doubt the Clippers will re-sign Paul George. Even if he's not a top-5 or even top-10 superstar in the league, he still made positive contributions during the team's three-peat. He's willing to be the second option alongside Jia Fei, and he has considerable strength on both ends of the court. In this era where max contracts are everywhere, if you don't offer a max contract to a star like him, he might leave.

Second signing: The Clippers signed free agent Jeremy Grant to a 3-year, $6000 million contract!

Grant, one of this summer's hottest free agents, joined the defending champion Clippers! Undoubtedly, the Clippers have strengthened their roster. While Grant's offensive performance last season wasn't necessarily better than Gallinari's, one is still on the rise at only 26 years old, while the other is already 32 and beginning to decline. Moreover, considering defense, it's clear that Grant is the better player.

The third move: The Clippers re-signed young center Hartenstein to a 4-year, $15 million contract, with the fourth year being a team option!

Hartenstein, a blue-collar center, was someone Jia Fei insisted on keeping. The team's management initially felt that giving a second-round pick a four-year contract was too long, and they didn't want him to become a liability. Jia Fei, however, made it clear that he wanted to offer Hartenstein a long-term contract, but with a team option.

Jia Fei, having transmigrated from another world, knew how formidable Hartenstein was. He had witnessed Hartenstein's steady progress. It was Jia Fei who had defied public opinion to draft this blue-collar center, and it was Jia Fei who insisted on re-signing him.

Hartenstein has always been obedient to Jia Fei. To Hartenstein, Jia Fei is his mentor. Without Jia Fei, he might be playing in the G League or overseas now. He would never have had the opportunity to enjoy the spotlight in Los Angeles, wearing a championship ring, receiving bonuses from the owner, and making extra money by shooting commercials with the team leader.

After the Clippers' three moves, plus the addition of their 27th overall pick, Jaden McDaniels, their 15-man roster is now full.

The Clippers' current 15-man roster is as follows:

Inside players: Olynyk, Art Mayork, Hartenstein

Wings: Jia Fei, Paul George, Jeremy Grant, Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson, Mikal Bridges, Grant Williams, Jaden McDaniels

Guards: Brunson, Hart, Bruce Brown, Terrence Mann

Compared to last season, this season's Clippers roster is taller, has a younger average age, and is more "forward-oriented".

Apart from Brunson, no player on this team is shorter than 190cm. Even Bruce Brown and Hart can play the small forward position, so the team's wing position is strictly speaking 10 players!

This roster depth is simply terrifying!

Although the Clippers don't have a "Big Three" lineup, their role players are excellent, with plenty of players who can contribute, so they don't need to worry about injury problems leaving them short-handed. As long as Jia Fei stays healthy, this team will remain very competitive.

Regarding two-way contracts, Jia Fei's idea is to find a point guard and a center to make up for the team's so-called deficiency of having too few players at the point guard and center positions.

In today's NBA, teams playing with twin towers are rarely seen. Many teams use a "one big man and four small men" lineup, and some even have only one true center in their rotation. Small lineups are common during transition periods. Therefore, Jia Fei's point is that there's no need to invest too much in the frontcourt. If you have the opportunity to acquire a center like Anthony Davis or Nikola Jokic, then you definitely need to offer a max contract. Otherwise, it's better to give a large contract to a two-way wing player.

Keep in mind that in crucial playoff games, many teams use small-ball lineups to decide the outcome, and it would be awkward if your max-contract center couldn't get playing time.

As for the point guard position, the Clippers don't really need to add another one with a big contract. After all, in a team with the Fernando-George duo, the ball-handling responsibilities are mainly shared between them, leaving little room for a star point guard. The starting lineup for this team primarily relies on the Fernando-George duo, with Brunson as the backup. There's no need to add a pure point guard unless that person is someone like Curry.

Even a 58-point shot isn't needed by the Clippers; they don't have enough ball possession and scoring opportunities.

The Clippers' crosstown rivals, the Lakers, have also been very active in free agency, but they haven't made many actual moves. They've mostly been looking for fringe players, using minimum contracts to lure and acquire so-called "talented" players. The max contracts of their Big Three have severely limited the team's salary cap, leaving little money for further improvements. Moreover, one of the Big Three is aging, and the other two are frail; whether they can even finish the regular season next year is uncertain.

From a market operation perspective, the Clippers' logo guy completely outshines the Lakers' Pelinka.