Roster retooling in the NBA is never a one-size-fits-all approach. Some franchises hit the rest button by blowing up their rosters to oblivion. Others abandon their young stars if in their opinion, he’s no longer the foundational piece they once thought he was. Others go all in by putting their future assets on the table for a player or two that can help them achieve their championship aspirations right now. 

For the Los Angeles Clippers, though, it’s been about stockpiling talent. 

Clipper fans will tell you that this is them acquiring the players who execute their role to a tee, and in the case of Chris Paul, it’s also a homecoming. Haters will say that it’s them taking a page out of the Los Angeles Lakers, who have in the past tried to maximize their title windows by signing up veterans on the wrong side of 30. 

Regardless of where you stand, though, what the Clippers have done is something to tip your hat to. Unlike the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles actually made significant moves in an effort to upgrade their roster. Yes, they shored up their depth, but the Clippers also made an effort to plug some holes that hounded them in the postseason. John Collins gives them a power player who provides scoring down low aside from Ivica Zubac. With Brook Lopez, they can stretch the floor to give Collins, Kawhi Leonard, and even Bradley Beal space to operate. Paul’s addition helps lessen the playmaking workload off the shoulders of Leonard and James Harden, and he can especially take advantage of bench lineups he is clearly too talented to square up against. 

However, unlike that of the Houston Rockets, who added Kevin Durant to what is already a potent core, these moves may not really move the needle in terms of truly moving closer to fulfilling their long-held championship aspirations. 

Even with their offseason additions, the biggest question with Los Angeles remains health. 

Leonard’s injury history is a longer read than Les Misérables and last season, only six Clippers played in at least 70 games, with five of those players playing at least 24 minutes in those games. 

Their new additions aren’t exactly working with a clean bill of health either. Among their significant offseason acquisitions, it’s only Lopez that has consistently played more or less 80 games in the last three seasons. Beal, Collins, and Paul have had a harder time playing in 60 regular season games and that’s not even considering the postseason. All have typically dealt with what are technically minor injuries, but they come in bunches and when you add them all up, that’s a ton of missed games. 

While the depth they have on paper does allow them to manage the load throughout the regular season, it can become an unmitigated disaster if Los Angeles has its entire roster on the shelf. Thus, it’s on Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue to ensure that the players still develop the chemistry that will help them survive the gruelling postseason. 

All things considered, though, the Los Angeles Clippers managed to retool a roster that had questions with additions that brought… more questions. Their talent was never really in doubt, as the greater question is whether or not we will see that talent on the court. After all, we’ve seen championships won on availability over ability.