Clippers Fans Can Find Solace in the Lakers' Offseason Fumbles

The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves in an unprecedented situation this summer. Just when they were ready to end the Kawhi Leonard era by trading him to the Toronto Raptors, the deal was put on hold until the cap circumvention investigation is concluded. This has left the Clippers unable to continue with the rest of their offseason.

Regardless of what happens with the rest of the Clippers' offseason, the days of them as title contenders or dangerous playoff teams are over. They will have to take a step back and build around Keaton Wagler and Darius Garland going forward.

This isn't the worst outcome considering how the Clippers weren't good enough to compete last season. While it may be painful in the immediate, this will set the Clippers up better for the future.

Plus, Clippers fans can find solace in the fact that their intercity rivals are also in the midst of a poor offseason. The Los Angeles Lakers entered the offseason with a ton of assets, cap space, and flexibility. They made a ton of moves with the hopes of elevating themselves to contender status.

They have a very different roster from the one they had last season, but whether they are actually a better team is another question.

Lakers Didn't Have a Much Better Offseason Than the Clippers

The departure of LeBron James will surely hurt. They also lost Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, and Luke Kennard in free agency. All three of these role players played a crucial role in their improbable first-round win over the Rockets.

The big addition they made was a sign-and-trade for Walker Kessler. Not only did they overpay for Kessler in his new four-year, $130 million contract, but they also gave up a haul of two first-round picks and two first-round swaps to have the privilege to give him that deal.

This was basically all of the Lakers' draft capital they could trade. They were left without any future assets, both in terms of picks and young players of intrigue. Then, they built the rest of their roster through free agency, signing Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney, and Ziaire Williams.

Now, the Lakers have a projected starting lineup of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Grimes, Mamukelashvili, and Kessler, with Sexton, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt, Williams, and Looney off the bench.

Despite giving up all of their future assets, this is hardly better than last year's team. Sure, they have a better starting center in Kessler, but they have lost their forward depth. There is not enough shooting, size, or athleticism on the wings. This lack of two-way players, which has plagued them over the last several years, continues to be a major issue. Plus, they have one of the worst backup center rotations behind an injury-prone Kessler.

The Lakers will almost certainly finish next season with a better record than the Clippers. They could even win a playoff series. But it's safe to say that their future is not brighter than the Clippers.

The Clippers may need a while to get back to championship contention, but at least they won't have to deal with the Lakers making title runs any time soon.

Add us as a preferred source on Google