Big Men The Los Angeles Clippers Must Seriously Consider

The Los Angeles Clippers have been champion or bust for the past five seasons in the 213-Era. The seasons have been broken down by the health of star player Kawhi Leonard and his ability to play in the postseason. He has been constantly injured as the team has been overreliant on him during the regular season.

One of the biggest problems with the Clippers on the court is their lack of big men and support from the bench. The Clippers need to get younger, find cheaper options and solidify the backcourt; things they can easily accomplish this off-season. 

Kelly Olynyk

The Clippers need an actual starting power forward this season and not have Kawhi Leonard play the four. One way they can acquire a starting caliber power forward is to make a trade. Bleacher Report created a hypothetical trade where the Clippers trade backup shooting guard Norman Powell to the Toronto Raptors Kelly Olynyk.

This past season, Olynyk averaged 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 0.9 steals in 76 games. In the 28 games played and 19 starts after being traded to Toronto during the deadline, Olynyk averaged 12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals. He adds size and solidity to the court for the Clippers

Daniel Theis

There is one backup center for the Clippers who will be re-signed this off-season, it won't be Mason Plumlee. It should be Daniel Theis, who is one year younger than Plumlee, but he is much more efficient. Last season, Theis played 59 games after being added to the team late into the start of the season.

He averaged 6.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. While undersized at 6-8, Texas has shown durability and aggression on both sides of the court in the paint. He will also be a much cheaper option for the Clippers as his cap is expected to be dollar sign to $2.094 million, lower than last year. Theis can be their first true backup center since Isaiah Hartenstein.

Kai Jones

Another clipper who deserves a chance to maintain his spot on the team with a higher presence is Kai Jones. Jones was selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft and has only played 67 games within his first two years with the Charlotte Hornets. After the 2022-2023 Season, Jones has been placed frequently on different developmental teams. The Clippers picked Jones up in the hopes of potentially being that high-caliber big man that he was with the Texas Longhorns.

There are plenty of reasons to believe he will as he has shown potential in the g League and coaches for the Clippers have been impressed by his play when picked up late in the season. Jones will need a full off-season of development, but he has a can secure a great spot with the Clippers if he shows out. Plus he will be a much younger and much cheaper option moving forward. It is a low-risk, high-reward potential.

Luka Samanic

Much like Kai Jones, Luka Samanic has been a player that is needed a lot more development and training. Samanic was drafted in the 2019 NBA draft with a 19th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs. He played a total of 36 games for the Spurs before moving into the G-League and then making his way to the Utah Jazz. As a member of the jazz, Samanic has been at his most productive. At 6-11, he provides solid size in the paint. He adds youth and size and is a cheap option for the Clippers.