Boston Celtics: 3 superstars worth monitoring this offseason

Paul George

With the Los Angeles Clippers bowing out of the offseason with such little grace, there has been plenty of talk about breaking up their core. Part of the reason why there has already been big organizational changes was because Steve Ballmer was upset with recently fired coach Doc Rivers for screwing up in the draft by not selecting Michael Porter Jr.:

"“If you look at the Clippers in the year Michael Porter Jr. was in the draft…They had two shots at it and then Michael Porter Jr. of all people is on the Nuggets getting buckets. We know he’s not a perfect player, but there’s a chance he could be really good. And so Ballmer’s thinking ‘I’m paying all of this money to all of these people, and we blow a 3-1 lead and we’re blowing leads in it…and then you’re thinking what happened with Michael Porter Jr. again?’”"

So…if Ballmer is unhappy with the team’s track record with the draft, he must definitely not be happy with the fact that Rivers gave up all of its draft capital to land Paul George.

Well, if the Clippers want redemption, there is a deal they can make to recoup draft selections while remaining competitive in 2020-21:

"While the damage won’t be undone fully, LA could move on from the George-Leonard pairing while adding a more efficient scorer in Gordon Hayward. While the deal makes the Clippers less talented on the surface, having a player more secure in an off-ball role in Hayward could make things less murky in crunch time. For the Cs, this move accomplishes a few things. The first is fixing the surplus of draft picks and two-way contracted talents like Tremont Waters and the 7-foot-5 messiah Tacko Fall that are accompanied by the shortage of roster spots. Secondly, it is a move to add a third (or potentially fourth if Jaylen Brown can make the jump) All-Star to a roster that could be just short of an NBA Championship or Eastern Conference crown. While giving up the draft picks isn’t fun, the Cs roster seems locked in for the foreseeable future, so this would essentially be a one-for-one given the lack of opportunities the incoming picks would have."

All three of the Boston Celtics’ first round picks and Gordon Hayward for George. Who says no?