The NBA Draft is far away. But even in the lead up the playoffs, the draft captures a lot of attention. Today, in a lengthy piece regarding the NBA’s finances and potential issues in the future, Brian Windhorst of ESPN had a quote from an executive that NBA teams might sell 1st round draft picks in this year’s draft.

This is actually fairly big news. While second round picks are sold fairly frequently (especially past number 45 or so), the last first round pick that was sold straight up was back in 2013 (the pick became Rudy Gobert). While it’s highly unlikely that any picks above 20 are solid, it seems like there’s a pretty good chance that a pick or two in the 20s could be up for grabs. Even in what is considered a pretty poor draft, there will certainly be good NBA players drafted in the late 1st round.

This is important for the Clippers because they are certainly a team who will be looking to buy picks in this draft. They won’t have any 1st rounders (they traded their pick at the deadline for Marcus Morris), and their only 2nd rounder is a heavily protected one that is unlikely to make it to them. While picks might be young players who won’t contribute much to a championship-level roster, it is absolutely essential for contenders to have pipelines of young talent.

Not only do such young players have more upside than veterans, but they’re also cheaper and cost-controlled. As veteran cores age, they become increasingly expensive, and harder to build around. However, if there are young players waiting in the wings, more expensive veterans can be let go or traded to make room for the younger guys. One of the big issues with Lob City was that those teams relied heavily on washed up veterans who could not contribute at an NBA level any more. This was brought about at least in part because the players who they drafted – Reggie Bullock, CJ Wilcox, Branden Dawson, Brice Johnson – did not provide any value on their deals.

If the Clippers can buy a 1st round pick in this draft, and obtain a cheap role player who will be cost-controlled through Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s prime years, that would be a massive win. Hopefully the Clips and Steve Ballmer’s deep pockets can pull it off, and find NBA teams willing to sell picks for cash and cash alone.

Editor’s note: Each NBA team can send and receive up to $5.6M in trades during the 2019-2020 cap year. Assuming these rules aren’t adjusted, the Clippers would have just under $4.2M to spend on draft picks after sending $100,000 to the Miami Heat in the Moe Harkless trade and $1.3M to the Atlanta Hawks in the Derrick Walton Jr. trade.

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NBA Teams Might Sell 1st Round Picks, per Windhorst
Robert Flom

Louis and Rob return from a long hiatus to go deep on the Clippers’ new stadium in Inglewood, including chatting about the progress so far, examining what an environmental impact report is, and discussing what local residents think of the stadium. They then close the pod by debating the merits of the NBA’s approaching return to action in Orlando.

Listen to “Same Old Clips” on Spreaker.

This is a restart of Same Old Clippers from Clips Nation, but as SB Nation holds the rights to that, we are titling this Same Old Clips. Download the pod here!

Same Old Clips: The Inglewood Stadium
Robert Flom

A little over a month ago, the Clippers announced that the newly formed CAPPS LLC would purchase the Inglewood Forum from the Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSGE) Corporation. Now, the Clippers have announced that the purchase has been completed.

With the Forum officially under Steve Ballmer’s control, the Clippers new stadium in Inglewood can proceed on the long road towards launch. Not only does owning the Forum clear out objections from MSGE, but it will enable the Clippers to organize traffic and events in the area, making the arena more positive to local residents.

As stated earlier, the Clippers will keep the Forum’s staff on the payroll, which is not just a good thing to do for the employees, but a smart order of business. The Forum mostly hosts music, entertainment, and various sports events, enabling a symbiotic relationship with the Clippers’ new facility.

There might be no NBA basketball at the present, but there are sill happenings in the NBA, and the Clippers’ progression towards their new arena counts as a major development. Hopefully, the purchase of the Forum will mark a key step in the road towards a new, modern, all-Clippers stadium.

The Clippers Have Completed the Purchase of he Forum
Robert Flom

According to an announcement from the L.A. Clippers, newly-formed CAPSS LLC has reached an agreement with MSG to purchase The Forum in Inglewood for $400 million dollars in cash. Clippers Chairman Steve Ballmer and Vice Chairman Dennis Wong were behind the formation of CAPSS LLC and the purchase of The Forum.

MSG’s ownership of The Forum was one of the final major obstacles between Ballmer and the construction of a new L.A. Clippers arena in Inglewood, California. MSG had concerns that The Forum, which had been converted from a basketball arena to a concert venue, would face competition from a new, state of the art stadium. By purchasing the Forum, Ballmer has with one stroke removed that obstacle, clearing the way for the Inglewood stadium to be built.

The Clippers have stated that the Forum will continue to operate as a music and show venue, and that all of its employees will be offered new contracts as part of the merged organization. By operating both facilities, the Clippers can coordinate the schedules, relieving traffic and enabling fans to go to different events (both music and sports) that they’d like.

The bottom line is that despite starting with many obstacles, Steve Ballmer’s dream of building a new, true home for the Clippers in Inglewood is becoming more of a reality every day. With the Forum now in Ballmer’s hands, and all accompanying litigation resolved, the Clippers should be free to proceed with construction of the new stadium without fear. There’s no basketball being played, but this is still a landmark day for the Clippers brand and organization.

Steve Ballmer Purchases Inglewood’s Forum, Clearing Way for new LAC Arena
Robert Flom