{"id":51543,"date":"2025-07-09T13:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T13:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/51543\/"},"modified":"2025-07-09T13:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T13:57:09","slug":"lakers-clippers-forge-parallel-paths-to-flexibility-will-they-see-stars-at-the-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/51543\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers, Clippers forge parallel paths to flexibility. Will they see stars at the end?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get ready for Street Lights vs. Spotlights<\/a>, Part II.<\/p>\n

It has been nearly six years since the LA Clippers\u2019 rebranding campaign included that clever catchphrase, with the former variety representing their gritty group and the latter a not-so-veiled shot at the glitz-and-glam Los Angeles Lakers team led by the great LeBron James. That Steve Ballmer-approved marketing flex came in the wake of the Clippers adding Kawhi Leonard (who the Lakers thought was headed their way) and Paul George (who had once been determined to play<\/a>\u00a0for the Lakers) just months before. And even if it didn\u2019t age well \u2014 the Lakers are the only Los Angeles team to win a title during that span, after all \u2014 it was both admirable and entertaining to see the local underdog compete so unabashedly with its NBA big brother.<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s happening again.<\/p>\n

If you watched the way the Lakers and Clippers front offices functioned during the first phase of free agency, you might have noticed a theme: Neither team wanted to make any moves that cut into its financial flexibility for the future, with the Lakers prioritizing their goal of having (mostly) clean books starting next offseason and the Clippers laser-focused on the summer of 2027.<\/p>\n

Why the short-term outlook, you might ask? Because both franchises are swinging big for the long haul. And surely hoping the other misses badly along the way.<\/p>\n

The most obvious target here is Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star whose plans remain unknown<\/a> and who could be a free agent in the summer of 2027 if he doesn\u2019t sign an extension before then. The same goes for Denver\u2019s Nikola Joki\u0107, who gave all of his suitors some hope on Tuesday when he informed Nuggets officials that he wouldn\u2019t be signing his extension this offseason<\/a>\u00a0and could also be a free agent two summers from now. The star-studded list of players who could be free agents in 2027<\/a>, and could be attainable via trade before then, goes on from there.<\/p>\n

When you have all-time greats on your roster who are on the back end of their storied careers \u2014 James in the Lakers\u2019 case and Leonard\/James Harden for the Clippers \u2014 you simply must be ready to welcome a younger one should he decide to come your way. That\u2019s the shared goal, anyway, one that is increasingly logical because of the league\u2019s current collective bargaining agreement and the second-apron (luxury-tax) chaos that has been caused by it. If a title-contending team underperforms \u2014 or gets wrecked by injury like the Boston Celtics did with Jayson Tatum\u2019s Achilles tendon tear in May \u2014 then the threat of a necessary teardown looms large.<\/p>\n

Just ask Josh Kroenke.<\/p>\n

While there are no current signs that Joki\u0107 wants out, the Nuggets\u2019 governor and team president made unwelcome headlines recently when he offered unsolicited comments about the nightmare prospect of having to consider trading the Serbian superstar<\/a>. In fairness to Kroenke, he was simply highlighting the dangers that come with this CBA. But he should have known better than to speak that sort of thing into existence, and the harsh truth is that it was red meat for the rival teams that would love nothing more than to see Joki\u0107 raise his hand, eventually, and ask out of town. These are the kinds of calculated risks that the Lakers and Clippers appear hell-bent on taking.<\/p>\n

But the fascinating part, and the thing that has been on full display in these past nine days, is that both teams have been pulling the curtain back on these plans even more with every move \u2014 and non-move \u2014 they make.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the Lakers, who were sold for a whopping $10 billion valuation<\/a> to Dodgers owner\/Lakers minority owner Mark Walters recently but will still be run by longtime owner Jeanie Buss for quite some time to come. Per a team source, Buss\u2019 agreement with Walter and the NBA stipulates that she\u2019ll remain the team\u2019s governor for at least the next five seasons.<\/p>\n

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Laker fans should be estatic. A few things I can tell you about Mark \u2013 he is driven by winning, excellence, and doing everything the right way. AND he will put in the resources needed to win! I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike -\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Of all the Lakers\u2019 choices made recently, their handling of James\u2019 contract situation was as telling as any. They showed no willingness to discuss a contract beyond this coming season<\/a> with 40-year-old James and thus made it clear that the shift toward Luka Don\u010di\u0107 as their franchise centerpiece \u2014 and the youth movement that comes with it \u2014 is the top priority. (James picked up his player option worth $52.6 million.) When James\u2019 contract decision was publicly revealed, it spoke such a volume about the state of his current relationship with the Lakers that his longtime agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, shared a public message about the concerns James has about this approach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The bread crumbs hardly stopped there.<\/p>\n

The Lakers only offered a two-year deal <\/a>to beloved forward Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency, then saw him leave for Houston on a four-year deal (although only two of the years are reportedly guaranteed<\/a>). They signed players in Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes whose deals either expire before the summer of 2027 or are team-controlled at that point.<\/p>\n

What they didn\u2019t do \u2014 not yet, anyway \u2014 is trade away the 2031 first-round pick that had been part of the rescinded Mark Williams trade<\/a> with the Charlotte Hornets in February. That choice, conceivably, could allow them to do a deal that includes up to three first-round picks next summer. You get the idea. And considering the serendipitous way they landed Luka<\/a>, who could blame them for wanting to be in prime position to do that sort of blockbuster deal yet again?<\/p>\n

The Clippers, meanwhile, started this sort of strategy more than a year ago. They signed the then-32-year-old Leonard to a three-year, $153 million extension in January 2024 when he was eligible for a four-year, $223 million deal, then hoped that the 34-year-old George would be willing to do a similar deal from there. He was not<\/a>. George, displeased that the Clippers would only offer a three-year deal, bounced for Philadelphia on a four-year max.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to this summer, and the Clippers re-signed 35-year-old James Harden on a two-year, $81.5 million deal and gave two-year deals to Brook Lopez and Nicolas Batum. It\u2019s worth noting, by the way, that Batum, Lopez and Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107 all have team options for the 2026-27 season. Harden, similarly, has only a partial guarantee for his second season (which is a player option). The Clippers, like the Lakers, could pivot to prioritizing next summer, too.<\/p>\n

More tellingly, the Clippers sent Norman Powell to Miami, by way of a three-team trade with Utah, after he had the best season of his 10-year career. The problem for the Clippers, of course, is that Powell was extension-eligible (with one year left on his deal), and they simply couldn\u2019t reward him for his wonderful play with a long-term deal while keeping their strategy intact. They landed John Collins, who is on an expiring deal, in return.<\/p>\n

And therein lies the trickiest part of this plan.<\/p>\n

Legends of the game like James, Leonard and Harden surely want to know that their respective team is all-in, especially when Father Time is banging so loudly at their door. And this approach, however understandable, is an admission by both teams that they\u2019re looking ahead to a time when the aforementioned greats are (more than likely) no longer around. All of which makes this next season so interesting for both of the L.A. teams.<\/p>\n

Both squads have reason to believe that they can push for a top playoff spot in the Western Conference, all while keeping their proverbial powder dry with the hopes that there\u2019s another elite era to come. It\u2019s a personnel purgatory, if you will, one that comes with all sorts of possible conflicts and complications.<\/p>\n

None of which will matter if the ends justify the means.<\/p>\n

(Photo of James Harden and LeBron James: David Crane \/ MediaNews Group \/ Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)<\/p>\n