The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly want to sign current Lakers star Wesley Johnson in order to upgrade their options off the bench next season.
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“The Clippers have interest in Lakers swingman Wes Johnson, according to sources,” Ramona Shelburne of ESPN noted this week, as coach Doc Rivers begins his plans to improve his roster ahead of next season.
The Clippers suffered a heartbreaking end to their campaign this time round as after leading the Houston Rockets 3-1 in the Western Conference semi-finals, they lost three straight games and were eliminated.
As an organisation, they have yet to reach the conference finals in their history, and Rivers was particularly disappointed with how their season unravelled this time round after seemingly being in such a dominant position.
While the core of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are likely to remain ahead of next year, Rivers understands that his roster is not deep or talented enough to make a sustained championship push.
Although the former Boston Celtics coach got key contributions from the likes of Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford in his second unit at times through the playoffs, it wasn’t enough to make the difference consistently.
Johnson would fit the bill perfectly for what they need as he offers help at small forward and can play on both ends of the court even though he isn’t a spectacular player.
However, the key point will be on what level contract they will be able to acquire him, as they will be over the cap and will need to manage their finances sensibly in order to give themselves the best possible opportunity to strengthen in other areas too.
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