Last December, the Clippers were both a contender and a cautionary tale. Their collapse against the Nuggets at the end of the 2019-20 season, after holding a 3-1 lead as heavy favorites, was a humbling fork in the road for just about everyone involved.
Despite signing Kawhi Leonard, then trading just about every valuable asset they had for Paul George (one season after he finished third in the MVP race) and complementing the two stars with a potent bench mob—including Montrezl Harrell, who had just won Sixth Man of the Year—the organization’s blood type remained “laughingstock.