LA Clippers Gear Up for NBA Title Chase in 2025-26

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00:00all the Clippers are trying to do is win at a high level next year

00:04because the Clippers are looking around at an open NBA and giving it a go.

00:10Now, am I going to buy into the Clippers' love?

00:12We do this lesson every single year.

00:14But the L.A. Clippers retain James Harden.

00:19They've never moved off Kawhi.

00:21They've brought in John Collins now and are linked to not one,

00:25but two guys who feel as if either ending up a Laker would probably make LeBron happy

00:33in Bradley Beal and Chris Paul.

00:37And you can laugh all you want.

00:40But this is a Clipper team, J.Y., who losing Norm Powell,

00:47and it didn't feel like they got a great return for Norm Powell,

00:49it feels as if it's because they have a good idea Beal will be coming.

00:54So they strengthen the power forward position.

00:57They bring in a comparable level guard with less responsibility.

01:01Their backup point guard could potentially be Chris Paul would have signed

01:05with the Clippers already, by the way, if he thought he was going to start

01:07because Chris Paul still wants to start very badly.

01:10I'm not saying I am all in on the Clippers,

01:12but I respect the Clippers looking around and saying to themselves,

01:15the West is open.

01:17We can be competitive.

01:19Let's go out there and make some competitive moves.

01:21And it's not only that, it's bringing back Nicholas Batum.

01:25Oh, by the way, they also got Brooke Lopez.

01:28Yeah.

01:28So you look at a team where, to me, I think Bradley Beal is the move.

01:34I know Bradley Beal is a phenomenal scorer,

01:37but Bradley Beal is not a point guard.

01:40That's why it will never, ever work in Phoenix with Devin Booker.

01:45You put Bradley Beal at the two, with Harden at the point,

01:52and then you go Kawhi, John Collins, Zubak,

01:55who I thought should have been the most improved player.

01:58Zubak was actually fantastic.

02:00And then you bring, ready?

02:03Derek Jones Jr., Brooke Lopez, Bogan Bogdanovich,

02:08Chris Dunn, Nicholas Batum off the bench.

02:11And now you're looking at a team with a top five coach in the NBA, right?

02:19And then you look at an owner who wants to win.

02:25You could say a lot of things about Steve Ballmer.

02:29Don't call him someone that doesn't want to win.

02:31Because he'll pay the luxury tax.

02:34He don't care.

02:36He doesn't think about the future.

02:38His thing is the future is now.

02:41And that organization gets it.

02:44And they understand.

02:46And they're an organization that traded a 20-point-a-game guy

02:50ascending for John Collins because there's another move behind it.

02:59That is next-level thinking of what Lawrence Frank

03:02and our front office staff has continually tried to do with the Clippers.

03:06Now, listen, they've made mistakes.

03:08I mean, the Paul George for SGA trade is going to be going down

03:11as arguably one of the worst trades in history.

03:13But at least for the Clippers, unlike the Lakers, Kevin,

03:16they look at their superstars and they keep on swinging.

03:20I just, and I know I'm making this a LeBron thing, but you, this is a team that is pushing all in

03:32and also has the coach, by the way, LeBron demanded the Lakers get and they cheaped out on.

03:38Like, LeBron doesn't have to look far to be able to point to an example of what he would be looking for.

03:45And I just, the thing, again, that remains crazy to me is it's not like LeBron is supposed to be the best player on the team.

03:52And the Lakers are like, listen, man, like, you're going to retire next year.

03:55We can't be left with nothing.

03:56Like, no, like, you have Luka.

03:57Like, you, so, to me, it's a bad order of operations.

04:03The Clippers feel, J.Y., right, with some of these win totals that are out now,

04:08they feel like they could be an incredible, incredible win total team, right?

04:1447 and a half.

04:15They won 50 games last year.

04:17They won 50 games despite the fact that in the regular season, Kawhi Leonard only played 37 of them.

04:24Like, I know Kawhi doesn't play a lot.

04:26I think you'd expect Kawhi to play more than 37.

04:28But it is still a group I cannot imagine I find myself willing to bet in the big-time futures market

04:38because I still don't trust Kawhi to be out there.

04:43And that's where the Harden stuff matters.

04:47Like, Harden's close.

04:50So, by the way, what was an all-NBA season in Game 7, 2 for 8, 7 points,

04:56he was, like, still better than Kawhi in that game.

04:58But, like, it's very hard to see this Clippers team, J.Y.,

05:04actually being in a conference final.

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