The LA Clippers’ offseason has already taken on a strange shape, and the most glaring issue on the roster still hasn’t been addressed: rebounding.
That’s where Nick Richards enters the picture. With the only centers currently on the roster being Brook Lopez and Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Richards looks like one of the few realistic options to help patch a hole that became obvious after the Ivica Zubac trade. Brook Lopez can still bring value, but the second half of last season made one thing clear: he is not built to be the top rebounder on a team.
Richards wouldn’t come in as a flashy fix. His game is built on steadiness, not headlines.
Over six NBA seasons, he has averaged just under six rebounds and about five points per game. He spent last season with the Phoenix Suns before being dealt to the Chicago Bulls in February, where he was productive.
At 28 now and set to turn 29 in November, Richards would give the Clippers another veteran option in the middle, and one who plays much closer to the rim than Lopez. That contrast matters. Lopez has leaned more toward a perimeter-oriented style, while Richards would offer a more straightforward interior presence, even if the box score never really pops.
The broader picture in LA is still fuzzy. Everything points toward a rebuild, but the team has kept Lopez and Kris Dunn, and added Rui Hachimura, which leaves at least a sliver of competitive possibility. At the same time, the roster is clearly moving younger, and that hasn’t really been the case since the 2018-2019 season.
That season had its own surprise feel to it. Then-rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the headliner, and the Clippers ended up beating expectations and sneaking into the playoffs. There are echoes of that setup here.
Kris Dunn is the closest thing to this year’s Patrick Beverly, Benedict Mathurin fills the Lou Williams role, and Rui Hachimura along with Derrick Jones Jr. can stand in for Tobias Harris. Add in a possible leap from summer league standout Baba Miller or buy-low candidate Johni Broome, plus rookie guard Keaton Wagler, and there’s at least a path for this group to catch people off guard.
And then there’s Tyronn Lue, the piece easy to overlook. Since arriving in LA for the 2020-2021 season, Lue has never finished below .500, never won fewer than 42 games, and has made the postseason every year. He reached the play-in twice and the playoffs four times, which is exactly the kind of stability that can keep a team relevant even as the roster shifts around him.
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Clippers Just Added Size To A Position Fans Are Watching Closely
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Clippers May Have Avoided A Veteran Fit Problem They Know Too Well
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Jake Fischer noted that Sacramentos suggestion of DeRozan coming off the bench touched a nerve, and that helps explain why Los Angeles had reason to be cautious. For a team trying to avoid locker room complications as much as basketball mismatches, the concern was never just whether DeRozan could help, but whether the role available to him would be one he could live with. [Read more 🡒]