Clippers want 2 former NBA All-Stars in free agency, and they have the cap space to do it

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The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the best stories of last season. Most expected the Clippers to take a step back — potentially a big one — after Paul George signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency and it was announced Kawhi Leonard would be out until Jan. with injury. Instead, the Clippers roared to 50 wins behind an elite defense, with James Harden and Leonard proving they still had plenty left in the tank.

The Clippers took the Denver Nuggets to seven games in the first round. The Nuggets won, and then took the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the second round. Based only on that, it feels like the Clippers could be close a breakthrough with a few moves around the margins this offseason, and they’ve put themselves in position to do just that.

It’s been a busy offseason already for LA’s other team. First they signed Brook Lopez away from the Milwaukee Bucks to be their new backup center. Then they traded Norman Powell to land John Collins as part of a three-team deal. The Clippers have two more moves they’re hoping to pull off before the summer ends, and they have the cap space to make it happen.

The Clippers want to sign Bradley Beal and Chris Paul, according to multiple reports. Long-time NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Clippers have the room to do it, they’re just waiting on Paul’s decision and Beal’s eventual buyout from the Suns.

The Clippers’ salary cap management has indeed opened the door to signing both Bradley Beal (conditional on a Phoenix buyout) and reuniting with Chris Paul.

The Suns and Clippers have been the two potential spots for Paul since June 29 as covered here: https://t.co/WbLcdtmaUo https://t.co/HW97ew9Q0v

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 9, 2025

The Clippers badly need more guards after trading Powell — coming off a breakout season at age-31 — for Collins. Beal is an ideal replacement. Beal’s career has gone downhill since leaving Washington for Phoenix, but the Suns were never in a good position to maximize his skill set. There was simply too much overlap between Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker, and Phoenix didn’t have anyone to do the less glamorous aspects of winning that don’t include hitting pull-up jumpers. That could change in LA next to a brilliant playmaker in Harden and with an elite defense surrounding him.

Paul would be a nice addition, too. CP3 is of course a Clippers legend who brought the franchise arguably its most exciting era ever during the “Lob City” days alongside Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Doc Rivers. Paul is still going strong at 40 years old, and he started all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season. Paul reportedly wants to be a starter as he prepares for the final year of his career, and that likely won’t happen with the Clippers. Still, if he wants to win, LA is would a good destination for a smaller role backing up Harden.

These sort of low-cost deals are exactly what the Clippers should be targeting. Los Angeles is not-so-secretly lining up their cap space to make a big splash after the Leonard/Harden era is over. It’s so hard to thread the needle between the present and the future, but it feels like the Clippers are doing it. This is a team that will be good this season as long as Harden and Leonard stave off age-related decline, and they can go big fish hunting in free agency or the trade market over the next few years.

The Clippers are historically one of the worst-run franchises in basketball. That has changed in recent years even if they did trade a future MVP for Paul George. It’s hard to comprehend the Clippers being a model of smart, prudent long-term decision-making, but that’s exactly what has happened.