Clippers Starting Lineup and Rotation Now That Kawhi Leonard Is Officially a Raptor

The Los Angeles Clippers can finally put the Kawhi Leonard saga behind them. On Monday, the Clippers and the Raptors officially finalized the trade to send the 35-year-old superstar back to Toronto.

It has been a painful process for the Clippers. They had to wait two and a half months after agreeing to the trade for the league's investigation to wrap up. The Clippers were severely punished, including having to forfeit five future first-round picks. So, it was important to recoup some draft capital in this trade and start building their asset coffers.

But what does the roster actually look like? With Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick replacing Leonard, how will the Clippers' depth chart shake out?

Starting Lineup
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Max Strus
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Brook Lopez

Garland and Ingram should be considered the only sure-fire starters. Lopez, as the only proven and experienced center on the team, will likely get the starting job to start the season.

For the final two spots, Ty Lue can go in different directions. One of Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. could crack the starting lineup for defensive purposes. Bradley Beal is also a candidate to start due to his high profile.

But the Max Strus and Rui Hachimura combination gives them the best combination of size and shooting. Since they are the third- and fourth-highest-paid players on the team behind Garland and Ingram, and the Clippers went out of their way to acquire them, they should have the inside track to start.

Bench Rotation
Guards: Kris Dunn, Keaton Wagler, Kobe Sanders, Bradley Beal
Forwards: Derrick Jones Jr.
Centers: Isaiah Jackson

Even if Jones Jr. and Dunn don't start, they will play a lot of minutes and get a chance to close games. Keaton Wagler will be given minutes regardless of how he does to start the season. He will explore the studio space and try to showcase what he can do in his rookie campaign. Kobe Sanders, in his second season in the league, will try to improve upon his very promising two-way campaign from a year ago.

The frontcourt rotation leaves plenty to be desired. With Yanic Konan Niederhauser still recovering from Lisfranc surgery, Isaiah Jackson should be penciled in as the only dependable big man.

There is a clear roster imbalance here, with an embarrassment of riches in the backcourt and not enough depth in the frontcourt. Whether the front office will do anything to address this between now and the season opener remains to be seen.

Injured to Start the Season
Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Jordan Miller

Out of the Rotation/Emergency Backups
Gradey Dick, Cam Christie, Baba Miller, Johni Broome

Once they are healthy, both Miller and Konan Niederhauser should get rotation minutes. The same can't be said about Dick, Christie, Baba Miller, and Broome.

In fact, two out of these four names will likely not be on the opening day roster. The Clippers currently have 17 players under contract, and they have to move on from two of them to meet roster guidelines. Given the backcourt depth on the roster, Christie and Dick may be the most likely departure candidates.

The NBA season is long and grueling. So, everyone will get a chance. Especially for a team like the Clippers, which is in a transitional year, things could look very different after the trade deadline. This rotation will be fluid, and it will be fascinating to see what Lue does with it in his first year without Kawhi Leonard in LA.

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