A Way-Too-Early Look at the Clippers' Playoff Chances

The NBA free agency period has been ongoing for a couple of weeks now, and players are proving their worth in the Summer League. Massive trades have been the headliner for this offseason, and the Los Angeles Clippers got involved in the trade frenzy.

The Clippers agreed to trade their franchise star, Kawhi Leonard, to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and several draft picks. However, the trade has been put on hold in light of the NBA's investigation of the Clippers and the company Aspiration.

Assuming the trade goes through, let's take an early look at where LA stands in the Western Conference.

Stacking Up the Clippers With the Western Conference

The Clippers are signaling towards a rebuild with the Leonard trade, but there is still decent talent on the roster. Between recently signed Rui Hachimura and Ingram, that's a solid duo to help fill the void left by Leonard.

However, the Western Conference is loaded, and some teams got better this offseason. The Minnesota Timberwolves swung a huge trade for LaMelo Ball, the Los Angeles Lakers added Walker Kessler to pair with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and the Portland Trail Blazers traded for Ja Morant.

LA falls right in the middle of the NBA power rankings. They have an exciting backcourt with Darius Garland and Keaton Wagler, and the Clippers have enough scoring to stay competitive. But they also don't have enough star power to compete with the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.

Best Case Scenario for the Clippers

The best-case scenario for the Clippers, in realistic terms, would be winning anywhere between 42 and 47 games. They went 42-40 last year and finished as the ninth seed.

If LA can improve on that win total and make it out of the play-in tournament, that would be a huge win for Ty Lue's group. Ultimately, this team doesn't have championship expectations, and getting Wagler early playoff experience would bode well for his development.

The West is stacked, and a playoff spot will be competitive. But with experienced players at the helm, it's not totally unrealistic.

Worst Case Scenario for the Clippers

The worst-case scenario for LA is if they finish as a bottom-five team in the league. They could receive draft capital for players like Garland or Ingram at the trade deadline, but they will have little incentive to tank because the OKC Thunder have swap rights with their first-round pick. Plus, the new lottery rules will make tanking for a draft pick very difficult to begin with. This means that pretty much every team in the league will try to win as many games as possible.

Ultimately, if the team can stay healthy, LA should be competing for a spot in the play-in tournament next season, but the odds of an incredible season, i.e. a top-six finish in a loaded Western Conference, are not high.

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