Despite losing all their “Big Three” of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, the Los Angeles Clippers still managed to remain competitive in the 2018-19 NBA season. Even without a legitimate NBA superstar on their roster, the Clippers may have a better chance of entering the Western Conference Playoffs 2019 than the other team situated in Los Angeles, the Lakers.
However, it won’t take long before the Clippers add a new superstar on their team. In a recent appearance in the Dunc’d On podcast with Nate Duncan, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports revealed that the Clippers will be joining the pursuit for New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis next summer. Haynes also revealed some of the Clippers’ top targets in the 2019 NBA free agency. These include Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors, and Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins of the Golden State Warriors.
“No team is concrete. Obviously, there’s some teams looking and lurking. L.A. Clippers, they’re being really aggressive out there,” Haynes said, as transcribed by HoopsHype . “They’re looking at Kawhi Leonard. They’re looking at Kevin Durant. Obviously, they’re monitoring the Anthony Davis situation, they’re monitoring DeMarcus Cousins – seeing how he’s gonna progress through the Achilles injury.”
It’s easy to understand why the Clippers are interested in Anthony Davis. Adding Davis to their roster will tremendously boost their performance on both ends of the floor, giving them an All-Star big man who has the ability to knock down shots from the three-point range. This season, Davis is averaging 29.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.6 blocks, and 1.7 steals on 50.8 percent shooting from the field and 32.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Anthony Davis is only 25 and could be the centerpiece of the title-contending team the Clippers are trying to build. Unfortunately, it remains unknown if the Clippers can beat what the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics can offer to the Pelicans for Davis. The Lakers and the Celtics have a plethora of trade assets, including young players and future draft picks, which could greatly help the Pelicans in speeding up the rebuilding process.
Warriors news: Anthony Davis no longer a possibility for Golden State https://t.co/IY2zIZeySF
— Warriors Wire (@TheWarriorsWire) January 20, 2019
The Clippers may not be considered major players on the trade market but the 2019 NBA free agency is a different story. When the 2018-19 NBA season is over, the Clippers are set to open a huge chunk of their salary cap space, which is expected to be enough to persuade at least two of Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins, and Kawhi Leonard to take their talent to Los Angeles. Durant and Leonard haven’t shown any indication that they plan to leave their respective teams, but they also didn’t give an assurance they will stay.
Meanwhile, the departure of DeMarcus Cousins in Golden State might be inevitable. After winning an NBA championship title and succeeding to regain his All-Star form, Cousins is expected to seek for a huge payday in the 2019 NBA free agency. The Clippers have long been interested in “Boogie.” Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer revealed the Clippers once had a trade discussion with the Sacramento Kings involving Blake Griffin and Cousins.
