Usually when their team trades one of its best players, that’s a sign that the organization thinks it is in its best interest to look towards the future. How far into the future is always a debate, but unless it’s a situation like the Cleveland Cavaliers moving Kyrie Irving because he requested a trade, moving a star is a great way to signal you’re about to embark on a rebuild.
When it comes to the decision to move Blake Griffin, the Los Angeles Clippers signified that they want to do something going forward. That was confirmed when word broke that the team may try to get something back for DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams.
As one report indicates, all of this could be a sign of what the Clippers want to do this summer. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, freeing up all this cash would show that Los Angeles wants to pitch itself as a potential destination for LeBron James when he hits free agency.
The Clippers clearly believe they can make it onto LeBron James' free-agent short list come July and, according to league sources, will indeed move DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams before the Feb. 8 trade deadline if they can find workable deals to help them in that quest
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 30, 2018
Griffin had a monster deal coming off the books with his trade, and with that, the Clippers now have room to give James a max contract. Of course, the question exists whether James would want to sign with the team — it’s a question that would be easier answer once we learn the returns the Clippers would get for Jordan and Williams in potential trades.
For now, Los Angeles is a team that doesn’t have another superstar (or the space to add another superstar), along with the whole “they’re in the same division as the Warriors” thing, so there are plenty of reasons for skepticism if you don’t subscribe to the “LeBron really wants to go to Los Angeles this summer” theory.
