The Los Angeles Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer have proven they are willing to spend money and trade assets for top players. They made some major moves this offseason to add John Collins, Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal, and Chris Paul, but all of them could be setting them up for an even bigger move in the future.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer gave a bold prediction that the Clippers are lining themselves up for a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo in the summer of 2027.
“But what they’ve really done here is clear the books for 2027,” Bill Simmons said on his podcast in reacting to the Clippers’ latest offseason moves. “It’s because Giannis is a free agent in the summer of 2027…I think this is a real thing, I think the Bucks are terrified of it.”
Antetokounmpo drew major attention early in the offseason after, for the first time in his career, he was reportedly ‘open-minded‘ to exploring opportunities outside the Milwaukee Bucks.
Clippers Could Go After Giannis In 2027
All of the Clippers’ moves indicate that they are trying to compete for a championship now. They’ve added veterans on team-friendly contracts, they have great bench depth, and proven stars that have seen playoff success.
However, Simmons believes their latest moves still position the Clippers to pursue Antetokounmpo when his current contract with the Bucks expires in the summer of 2027.
“But I think if you’re the Clippers, and short term, you can compete with a puncher’s chance for a title, but long term, you have $20 million on the books for 2027,” Simmons said. “This is a team that spends every possible asset, dollar, to impress the people that play for it, and I think that’s their end game is that summer of 2027, short-term ‘let’s try to win’, long-term Giannis.”
Ivica Zubac is the only player who has a guaranteed contract for the Clippers in 2027. With just a small fraction of their total cap space on the books in two years, they could offer a historic contract to Antetokounmpo in hopes of landing the 2021 NBA Finals MVP.
“Everybody knows the timetable of Giannis’ contract, everybody sees how desperate the Bucks are,” NBA insider Zach Lowe added on the podcast.
Whether Antetokounmpo stays with the Bucks or moves on, the Clippers appear to pursue a big star soon. With their recent additions, they became the oldest team in NBA history, and likely only have one or two seasons left with their core of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and the rest of the supporting cast around those two.
Bucks Not Ready To Let Him Leave
Despite rumors, speculation, and the potential chance at having a better basketball situation somewhere else, Antetokounmpo has remained loyal to the Bucks in an era where superstars change teams every few years.
While they did make the bold decision to waive Damian Lillard‘s contract after he tore his Achilles and expects to be out for all of next season, Milwaukee didn’t have a quiet offseason. They added Myles Turner from their rival, the Indiana Pacers, as well as Cole Anthony and Gary Harris in free agency. The Bucks also re-signed Kevin Porter Jr., Bobby Portis, Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr., all proven role players who fit well around Antetokounmpo.
While they did lose Pat Connaughton, Lillard, and Lopez, the Bucks could have rolled over and gone for a full rebuild, but they didn’t. All indications show that they plan on keeping Antetokounmpo for the long term and competing in an Eastern Conference that is currently wide-open.
“By all accounts, he’s fine in Milwaukee, and the team is going to be pretty good,” Simmons said. “They had a really good offseason when you consider that the second-best player on the team was going to miss the entire season…They’ve added together a team that, in a weak conference, with the best player in the conference, at least is now in the game.”
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