I could see a package like this going down

LAC Receives = Reed Sheppard, Clint Capela, Fred Van Vleet & 2027 1st Rd Pick (Least Favorable of Their 2 picks)

HOU Receives = Harden

I would love to get Tari Eason instead of Capela but I don’t think Houston would go for that.

My respect for Harden has grown immensely; however, if some team, say the Rockets, wants to give us a 1st and a 2nd pick plus a young good player for him, I say do it.

Lopez and CP3 are done. I cringe every time Lopez takes the court. WhenLopez is out with the 2nd unit, nothing works right.

I am also completely done with No Show Leonard. This is no longer No Show’s team. Constantly attempting to structure the Clippers around him is feeble. Get rid of him and all of his issues by the deadline.

Ty Lue has made some positive adjustments, but the margins for these Clippers are so tight with the refs also inclined to pile on a ‘bad’ team that he needs to think even more outside the box to turn this around. He can’t play it safe or take a laissez faire attitude on how different units perform. He needs to be more assertive about the following things to lift this team over the top:

1. Demand that the team plays inside out with Zu. In the Philly game, even when Zu didn’t get a shot, if he got a touch in the post it often turned into points. That’s because of his gravity. Ty Lue letting the 2nd unit in Q2 go 6 or 7 possessions without even giving him a touch just shouldn’t happen. Yes, LAC did recover to get a 10 pt lead, but had they gone into Zu when they had the advantage, they probably get Drummond in foul trouble, and Zu in a more assertive position with the ball in his hands probably gets more calls which benefits the team. I’d argue the momentum in the game was lost there, and again at the beginning of Q4 when Lue went too long with Cp3 and Batum on the floor.
2. Phase Lopez out of the Rotation; Play YCN. The worst move the FO did was getting Lopez. One can argue that his poor play is the reason LAC is in this predicament. He provides no meaningful resistance on defense, or gravity on offense. I do believe YCN can do a much more effective job in limited mins (e.g., 5 to 7). I also think they need to go small with Collins at the #5 for stretches to stir things up and give teams a different look. There are several guards on this team who have more rebounds than Lopez.
3. Commit to Playing the Young Guns in the Rotation. Sanders, Christie and Miller are all fundamentally sound players. Sanders has done something good in every phase of the game in his few competitive games on the court. It’s not by accident. All 3 of these young guns are schooled in AAU style ball, and can shoot, pass, dribble, defend and rebound credibly to varying degrees. The fact that they’re able to do that provides immediately better spacing for Harden/Zu. They are better for today’s NBA than Dunn or DJJ. Dunn/DJJ are throwbacks to the 70s/80s/90s when you had specialists on the floor playing mins. Today’s players are 5 tool players. YCN is also skilled in these respects even as a big. The offense has looked a lot better with Sanders, Miller, Christie on the floor. Play them and start winding down Dunn/DJJ. Tbf to DJJ, he does have a myriad of skills and is a valuable rotation player, but no defense respects his outside shot and it cramps the spacing. He’d be more effective off the bench (when he gets back).

As many have mentioned, we should be trying to move ANY player older than 23–25 years old for whatever late 1st to 2nd round picks and/or young players we can get in return. Then, we should NOT go after any superstars and instead look for the next Jalen Brunson or other second fiddles who want out to make their own mark away from teams who cannot afford to keep them because of the new CBA.

For example, Ben Mathurin from Indy will become a free agent in 2027 and will only be 25. The Pacers would likely have to go considerably over the second apron to keep a player who may or may not be a 3rd option for them. They will have to make decisions about Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard too right around the corner and they can’t keep all three plus whoever else might blossom for them. There will be several others like this that we can’t predict right now, so it would be wise to have a younger cost-controlled core to add one or two of this type into the fold in 2027. Who knows? Maybe we can shave off enough salary and something will land in our lap next summer. Regardless, we’re going to have to clean house and suck for a season or two to position ourselves accordingly.

The Thunder aren’t going anywhere, but maybe by 2030 we can land a unicorn and get back in business. In the mean time we need to start planning for that future now.