The Los Angeles Clippers saw a promising season, which they hoped to be title contenders, fall apart due to injuries. Blake Griffin missed the majority of the season with assorted maladies, including a broken hand after punching a team employee. Then both Chris Paul and J.J. Redick were injured in the playoffs. Rather than contending for a title, the Clippers limped their way to another disappointing early postseason exit.

On the plus side, the team had another good regular season. Despite Griffin missing time, the team won 53 games, mostly behind the superb play of Paul and DeAndre Jordan. Paul was his typical excellent self, but Jordan elevated his game to another level, proving his teammates right after their all-out effort to get him to return to Los Angeles after initially agreeing to terms with Dallas. Jordan made the All-NBA and All-Defensive first teams, while averaging a career high 12.7 PPG (his 7th straight season increasing his scoring average) and once again leading the league in FG%. With Jordan signed long-term, the Clippers' pivot is in good hands.

When he played, Griffin had his typical numbers of 20+ PPG, 8+RPG, and nearly 5 APG. He isn’t the same explosive athlete he once was, however, and now has to rely on his jump shot more often, which led to him shooting under 50% for the first time in his career. As he ages, adding more range to his jumper will round out his game and give Jordan more room to operate inside.

J.J. Redick was probably the biggest surprise, as he had the best year of his career. He averaged over 16 PPG and led the league in 3PT%. He also played some of the best defense of his career. More often than not, Redick was LA’s primary offensive weapon and the player the offense revolved around to be successful.

Jamal Crawford joined his star teammates in having yet another productive year, ultimately winning Sixth Man of the Year for a record third time. Crawford provided his typical instant offense off the bench in year where the Clips needed it more than usual. He was also often called on to run the offense for the second team as the backup PG, with Austin Rivers missing time and Pablo Prigioni proving ineffective.

The results were mixed for the Clippers new additions. Paul Pierce never provided the veteran stability the team had hoped for. He struggled through the worst season of his career and at age 38, he may finally be at the end of a storied run. Lance Stephenson was also a bust. The hope was that Stephenson would be the second team’s lead ball handler and could give the Clippers a defensive option to turn to if Redick wasn’t getting it done. All too often Stephenson was lost on both ends, never fitting in on offense or defense. On a team with so many other players who need the ball. Stephenson was often relegated to the corner on offense and on the other end he struggled to adapt to the scheme Doc Rivers prefers to use with overloading on the ball side and recovering back as the ball moves.

The Clippers eventually bailed on the Stephenson experiment at the trade deadline and Doc Rivers took another chance on Jeff Green, after previously having Green with Boston. Green played a bigger role than expected with Griffin out and continued to be a player who can provide 30 points one night and then go missing for a week. Green is known for only being consistent in his inconsistency and nothing in his Clippers' stretch refuted that notion.

The Clippers did get some really solid performances out of Cole Aldrich, Wesley Johnson and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, all of whom were signed for the Veteran Minimum Exception. Aldrich had an excellent season behind Jordan and proved that he can be a serviceable backup/spot starter. Johnson, while continuing his career-long struggles on offense, was probably LA’s second best defensive player after Jordan. He was good both on the wing and as a small ball PF. Mbah a Moute played a far bigger role than anyone could have expected, both due to Griffin’s injuries and Pierce’s ineffectiveness. He was solid defensively as usual, while staying in his lane offensively and cleaning up off the glass, setting screens, and running the floor.

The good performances on the cheap by Aldrich, Johnson and Mbah a Moute come with a downside however. Aldrich and Johnson are both likely to decline their player options and become free agents. The Clippers don’t have Bird Rights on either player, so matching offers this summer will be difficult. Mbah a Moute is further along in his career and seems to be happy in Los Angeles, so a return for him is more likely.

In addition, after several years with the Clippers, Crawford may have played himself out of town. Several teams will be happy to bring him in as a bench scorer and he's been paid under market value these past few seasons. Whether or not the Clippers want to match competing offers for him is a key question this summer. With Austin Rivers (opted out, but also likely to re-sign) in the fold, the Clippers may choose to hand him Crawford’s role and minutes.

A return engagement for Jeff Green is also up in the air. While the Clippers would love to have him back to play both PF and SF, they’ll have to consider how far they will go. Green continues to tempt teams because of how he shows to be a big time rotation player, despite his inconsistency, so a large offer could be headed his way as well.

Despite the cap jump, the Clippers aren’t expected to benefit in the same way other teams will. With Paul, Griffin and Jordan all making over $20 million next season, cap flexibility is limited. Los Angeles is largely confined to overpaying to keep their own FAs and continue to search for veterans who hit big on the minimum. Of course, Los Angeles can and may explore a trade of Griffin. Rivers says the team has every intention of keeping him, but with so many teams having cap space this summer, and several having impressive packages they can put together in trade, the Clippers will get plenty of calls.

No matter if the Clippers keep Griffin or not, this could be the last year we see this core group together. Paul and Griffin both have player options next summer and Redick will also be a free agent. Paul continues to talk both publicly and privately about his desire to win a championship and his desire to play with his friends LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. If the opportunity to accomplish both arises, Paul could jump at it. For a Clippers team that has finally dug out from under the rubble of the Donald Sterling era, this would be a huge blow. Fortunately for the Clippers, they have a deep pocketed owner who has a desire to keep a competitive team on the floor. Whether he is spending in a year to keep his own guys or getting all new ones is the question.

Offseason Details

Guaranteed Contracts (6): Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, J.J. Redick, C.J. Wilcox

Partial/Non-Guaranteed Contracts (1): Branden Dawson

Potential Free Agents (8): Cole Aldrich – (UFA – Player Option), Jeff Ayres (UFA), Jamal Crawford (UFA), Jeff Green (UFA), Wesley Johnson (UFA – Player Option), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (UFA), Pablo Priginoi (UFA), Austin Rivers (UFA – Player Option)

“Dead” Money on Cap (3): $650,000 (Carlos Delfino), $510,921 (Jordan Farmar), $252,043 (Miroslav Radjuljica)

First Round Draft Picks: # 25

Maximum Cap Space: $11,035,849

Projected Cap Space: None. $22,648,128 over