Projected Clippers starting lineup after Harden trade

2023-10-31 21:50

After weeks of negotiations, the Clippers finally traded for James Harden. What will the depth chart and starting lineup look like with the new addition?

After months of back and forth, the Clippers have just traded for James Harden in what seems like the last major ditch attempt to save the George and Leonard era.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers have traded Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, multiple draft picks, and a pick swap for James Harden, PJ Tucker, and Filip Petrusev.

The aging star will add an offensive creator to the Clippers. This is something that the team has been missing for the entire era of these two stars. Of course, this is dependent on Harden wanting to create for others and not just try to get his own buckets but the team could potentially have something that the squad has missed for multiple years.

Clippers roster: Projected starting lineup after James Harden trade

PG: James Harden SG: Norman Powell SF: Paul George PF: Kawhi Leonard C: Ivica Zubac

While the talent is here, the fit around this team is very weird. Harden moves to the starting point guard spot with him hopefully acting as an offensive creator for others on that end. Norman Powell acts as the primary defender for the Clippers to help make up for Harden's defense, which has improved in recent years but he still isn't a great defender in the half-court setting.

Paul George starts at the small forward spot and lets the team have elite play on both ends of the court. Kawhi Leonard has a similar production output as George does. Some think that Leonard is better than George but at the end of the day, both are two-way elite wings in this league. Ivica Zubac finishes out the season as the team's lone starting big against top teams.

Mason Plumlee is the other big-man option for this team. With the limited assets that this team has, they may look to upgrade the center position or target someone in the buyout market. Off the bench, the team has Russell Westbrook, Terance Mann, P.J. Tucker, and Mason Plumlee among others. The Clippers will need to make sure James Harden is willing to be a primary offensive creator for others if they want a chance at winning a title this season.