Yesterday, Chris Paul reunited with the Los Angeles Clippers, signing a one-year veteran minimum contract, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. This will likely be the last stop in Paul’s decorated 20-year career. While this last stand is a heart-warming story, it also plays right into the Philadelphia 76ers’ hands.
Shortly after the 2023-24 season began, they dealt a disgruntled James Harden to the Clippers in a three-team deal. In return, Philadelphia acquired Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, K.J. Martin, and Marcus Morris Sr. But, the most important asset it got was Los Angeles’ draft capital. Amongst other assets, the 76ers netted the Clippers’ unprotected 2028 first-round pick.
The Clippers have no future right now
So, you may be asking, “What does Paul have to do with a future draft pick?” The correlation isn’t solely with Paul; it’s more so with the direction that Los Angeles is heading towards. Currently, eight of its 14 players are over 30 years old—including the likes of Paul, Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, and Brook Lopez. For as good as the Clippers may be next season, it’s valid to say their contention window is fairly short.
By the end of the 2027-28 campaign, this current iteration of the Clippers will likely have run its course. At this point, Harden and/or Leonard could be retired or playing elsewhere. Regardless, Los Angeles should theoretically be one of the weaker teams in the Western Conference, which means its 2028 first-rounder could become a lottery pick.
Who knows where the 76ers will be in 2028
If so, this would be a miracle for the 76ers. Trying to forecast where they’ll be one year from now let alone three is a challenging task in itself. At the very least, Paul George will be off the books and Joel Embiid has a $67.2 million player option for the 2028-29 season. Philadelphia will likely be in a place where it's stuck between two timelines and isn’t able to financially pivot towards a core of Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and V.J. Edgecombe.
With all of that being said, the 76ers have a chance to acquire lottery-level talent. This could not only extend their timeline, but also potentially give them a player that could become a franchise cornerstone. But, let me come back to Earth a bit. It’s difficult to predict the future in the NBA, especially when you’re talking about three years from now. There are also plenty of variables at play that could squash Philadelphia’s pipe dream.
The one way this could go south
As it stands, the Clippers only have Yanic Konan Niederhauser on their payroll for the 2028-29 campaign, which could be problematic for the 76ers. The projected 2028 free agent class has players such as Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, etc. If there’s one thing Steve Ballmer isn’t afraid to do, it’s spend money. Not to mention, Los Angeles is always a top city destination for any NBA player.
So, while the Clippers’ long-term future looks bleak as of now, they are capable of retooling quite easily. This raises the question of should the 76ers keep that 2028 first-rounder or sell high on it for the right offer within the next few years.