Brook Lopez for Vando? with Ayton gone Lakers need a backup big and one that can shoot like Brook is rare in this league. Vando fits the Clippers timeline much better than Brook.

Is it because they need to wait until July 6th for things to clear? And maybe have some moves in the hopper right now that aren’t/can’t be announced?

Or is it because they are just losing out on worthwhile targets?

The Clippers have to be realistic, and stay the course with making good deals and trades and building young talent and depth and gathering assets. Competing and making the play-in and staying out of the lottery this year would be nice, but with Kawhi and Collins gone it’s going to be a modest effort. No reason it can’t be fun though.

Don’t overpay for anybody right now. You don’t want to overpay for Trey Murphy, who isn’t an exciting fit with Ingram anyway. Ingram is a placeholder, and he will have good production–kind of like how Paul George is suddenly a placeholder on the Celtics. See what happens with Rui, who is possibly waiting on LeBron, as noted. He would be fun, but I’d rather see a rebounder rather than a scorer, and I’m excited to see Baba in Summer League and perhaps he’ll get some minutes–he’s a good prototype.

If DEN is ready to shop Aaron Gordon because he’s expensive and banged up, and it would clear the way for them to sign Watson, then maybe there’s a favorable deal for the Clippers to make there, and Gordon could be a good reclamation project. The Clips aren’t in any hurry. Gordon on the block and possibly damaged goods could mean the Clippers might get him on the cheap.

Watson would be a good addition, and he would fit the Garland timeline, but it seems like he’s going to make bigger money–especially now after the Lakers’ Kessler deal.

People keep talking about centers, but the Clippers are in good shape with Lopez as the placeholder, YKN coming back, and IJax is a very solid backup.

With Jaylen Brown, the whole thing isn’t about the deal and the fit and the analytics. He’s a really good player, and he was slightly overpaid in his deal now, but the Celtics won a title and he made the team highly competitive and more than respectable in Tatum’s absence. The problem is the extension. It’s a good thing the Clippers didn’t make a deal for Brown.

The Clippers locker room vibe seems to be chill and professional. Less drama.