The Los Angeles Clippers could make a big play for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Los Angeles Clippers got some lottery luck in the NBA Draft Lottery, coming into the drawing with no guarantee at a first round pick, and ending up with the fifth overall pick.
The Clippers held the Indiana Pacers top four protected pick, with a less than 50% chance at getting pick number five or six.
Luck was on their side as the Pacers fell, and the Clippers benefitted.
With the fifth overall pick in one of the deepest drafts in years, the Clippers could either start looking into the future or continue to retool around Kawhi Leonard with more urgency, given that they still don't have their own future first-round picks.
Giannis In Play?
CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn pondered the idea of the Clippers taking a swing at Giannis by using the fifth overall pick as part of the trade.
"Getting the No. 5 overall pick cracked this door open very slightly for the Clippers," writes Quinn, who put the Clippers at number nine in his list of potential destinations for the Bucks superstar.
Giannis is reportedly looking to stay east and join a contender in a conference he's familiar with, but it is unclear if the Bucks will honor his wishes or look to make the best possible move for the future of their franchise.
Gaining the fifth overall pick in a deep draft would set the wheels in motion for a full on rebuild and possibly land the team its next franchise player. The Bucks also have the tenth overall pick, and could pair the two to jump up even further if they so desire.
Good Move For The Clippers?
The Clippers don't have control of their draft picks until 2030, and reshaped the franchise by trading James Harden for Darius Garland and Ivica Zubac for Bennedict Mathurin, and what turned out to be the fifth overall pick, but could have very well been no first round pick this year.
Garland and Mathurin add youth to the squad, and there were positive signs at the end of the season for the Kawhi-led group before they ultimately lost in the play-in game to the Golden State Warriors.
Acquiring Giannis would cost the team depth players, but give them a second superstar to pair with Leonard. With no first round picks until 2030, the team has no reason to try to rebuild, and obtaining one of the best players in the league would certainly weaken the positioning of those picks, should Giannis and Kawhi remain healthy.