By: Michael Tolliver Jr (Opinionated MJ)

It could very well happen.

There’s rumblings all around the NBA about a few teams being major players in free agency. Namely, the Lakers, Nets, Knicks, and Clippers. Honestly, who in their right mind believes the Clippers will actually make a big splash and land two free agents to fill those max slots? Well, me. Let me explain why. There are a few factors.

Steve Ballmer

He’s the financial engine behind this team now. His pockets are filled with enough money to own a few NBA teams. He’s also redistributed power throughout the organization and formed a hierarchy. He’s got a great front office. That’s something that is constantly overlooked when it comes to picking a franchise to play for. Nobody really wants to play for a franchise that doesn’t have structure. I look at them like the Dallas Mavericks from the early 2000s. Owner with big pockets and a stable structure going forward. I’ll elaborate further.

Doc Rivers

A championship coach, regardless of who was on his roster. He’s coached many greats and has been to two NBA finals. He’s coaches the likes of CP3, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce just to name a few. He has been at the helm for consistent playoff runs in his time coaching and also has this current a Clipper team exceeding expectations. I think he is also one of the few respected coaches around the league. I expect him to be able to lure players in.

Jerry West

The actual trump card in all of this. He assembled great rosters for the Lakers and helped the Warriors recruit Kevin Durant. That alone let’s me know that the Clippers are about to make some noise. He might be the most respected executive around the entire league. The only teams that may actually take the threat of the Clippers acquiring two top tier free agents is the Lakers and Celtics. For the same reason: Jerry West.

So once free agency hits on July 1, don’t think for a second that they won’t secure free agents to come to this team. Kawhi Leonard wants to come back to LA and might not want to be a Laker alongside LeBron and I could honestly see Jimmy Butler coming along. Those two could form the greatest two-way wing combination the league may have seen since Jordan and Pippen. That thought alone should be enough to scare the entire league, not just the western conference. They could be the true threat to the Warriors even if they retained Kevin Durant this off-season. Things are looking bright for the Clippers going forward.