On paper, the Clippers once again appear to be a championship contender. Is this the year they finally make it to the NBA Finals, or even win it all?
The LA Clippers appear to have one of the deepest teams in the entire NBA this season.
Two stars? Check.
Multiple point guard options? Of course.
A bunch of rangy and versatile forwards, including those aforementioned stars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George? Absolutely.
The basketball community writ large has noticed, including oddsmakers. According to our friends over at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Clippers (+550) are currently the odds-on favorite, as of this story publishing on Sept. 27.
Now, as anyone who has followed this team the last several years is well aware, these things can change, but at the very least — and health pending — the Clippers appear to have as good of odds to raise their first Larry O’Brien Trophy as anyone.
So as we head into a season with so much promise, we here at Clips Nation will be breaking down expectations for the roster before the season opens on Oct. 20 against the Lakers. As a reminder, here is where the team’s lineup currently stands heading into training camp this week, and each player’s contract status (salary data via Spotrac):
- Kawhi Leonard
- Paul George
- Jason Preston
- John Wall
- Terrance Mann
- Nicolas Batum
- Ivica Zubac
- Amir Coffey
- Brandon Boston Jr.
- Reggie Jackson
- Robert Covington
- Luke Kennard
- Marcus Morris Sr.
- Normal Powell
- Moussa Diabaté (two-way contract)
- Moses Brown (non-guaranteed)
- Michael Devoe (non-guaranteed)
- Xavier Moon (non-guaranteed)
- Juwan Morgan (non-guaranteed)
- Lucas Williamson (non-guaranteed)
The Clippers (and other NBA teams) are allowed to have up to 20 players on their rosters during training camp, but must cut the group down to a maximum of 15 full-time players and a pair of two-way contract ones by the start of the regular season. As the team currently only has one two-way player, the others on non-guaranteed deals can battle for that second spot in camp, or the final, 15th guaranteed roster spot.
Bookmark this page and stay tuned for our latest analysis as the season gets closer.