The Clippers Are Signing Every Potential Laker Target In What Has Been A Master Class In Tampering
OK I think we know what went down here. Reggie Jackson gets his buyout and in the same Woj tweet already has his new home? Yeah, that means what we all already know. The Clippers tampered their dicks off and landed some additional legit depth to their bench. In terms of talent available on the market, when healthy Jackson is certainly up there. He's another guy that can make spot starts if needed and can get you 20. Especially with all the load management this team has, putting in legit vets off the bench will certainly help. Who knows what the playoff rotation ends up being, but the goal now is to catch the Lakers or at the very least finish as high as possible in a loaded West. In theory, this helps.
You also have to look at it from the perspective that they took an option away from the Lakers. Now I'm sure there will be some spinzone on Lakers Twitter about how Reggie Jackson isn't even that good or that he wouldn't have helped when they've been very clear they are in the point guard market. Remember, their own tampering endeavors with Darren Collison fell flat when he decided to stay retired rather than join that team.
Which makes it clear there is a new tampering king in town. Sure the Lakers did their thing with LeBron and AD, but nobody, and I mean nobody has been better at tampering than the Los Angeles Clippers. They got fined a billion times for the tampering they did with Kawhi which ultimately worked, and here they are again flexing those muscles in the buyout market. I'm convinced Steve Ballmer has a tampering budget and he just tells his basketball people to do whatever it takes to add talent. The hell does he care what the fine might be if it brings his team a title? That's an owner I can get behind.
The buyout market is weird. Not since Peja in 2011 has a buyout guy helped a team win a title playing real minutes, so chances are this doesn't raise the Clippers ceiling all that much. The same way it wouldn't make or break the Lakers chances. But part of me feels like if there is any sort of player the Lakers might be interested in (Mook, Jackson, etc), the Clippers are saying fuck it and adding them to their roster. I would say building a team out of spite is silly, but at the same time I am for anything and everything to boost that rivalry.
You may have forgotten about Jackson given all the time he's missed, so here's what he's been up to lately. Seems decent