The Los Angeles Clippers, one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals, have allowed the Denver Nuggets to come back from a 3-1 deficit and even the series at three games apiece.
With Game 7 scheduled for Tuesday, ESPN’s Zach Lowe thinks the Clippers have more pressure to win.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are part of the reason why.
“Oklahoma City owns the Los Angeles Clippers for the next five years,” Lowe said on The Lowe Post podcast Monday. “They have traded everything to create this team and get these two superstars who are on, by the way, two year contracts, essentially.”
To get Paul George — and, as importantly, convince Kawhi Leonard to sign — the Clippers traded the Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a trove of future first-round picks.
Oklahoma City now owns the Clippers’ first-round draft picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026. The received the right to swap picks in 2023 and 2025. They also got the Miami Heat’s 2021 and 2023 draft picks, which the Clippers had owned.
Denver is not saddled with such dearth of draft assets. Coincidentally, the Thunder also own the Nuggets’ 2020 draft pick, but Denver has retained all future first-round picks beyond this upcoming draft.
They have more avenues to acquire young, inexpensive players if it doesn’t work out this year.
The Clippers have their roster set, for good or for bad.
Right now their roster looks very, very good. But there’s a chance the stars could leave sooner than later.
Leonard and George have player options after next season, and then the contracts expire following after the 2022 season. There’s absolutely a chance they will sign long-term extensions — both players asked to be in Los Angeles just one year ago — but, as recent history shows, NBA players are willing to move to be happier.
“I don’t care how, ‘Oh they both wanted to come home, they picked this team, obviously they’re going to stay,'” Lowe said. “The last five years in the NBA has taught you, don’t assume anything about anybody. Don’t assume any star player is staying put, not matter how cozy it seems.”
Of course the Clippers corps has more time together. Their window is by no means shut.
But they traded their future to Oklahoma City, and because of that, there’s extra pressure on them to beat the Nuggets now.
All that, in addition to the national perception that they would be title contenders this season.
“I do buy into the notion that there is more pressure on the Clippers. And not just because the expectations, fair or not, were higher for them this season than they were for Denver,” Lowe said.
Game 7 tips off at 8 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday.