The Golden State Warriors have been trying to make another championship run with Steph Curry, but their efforts over the past few years have come up short. In a Western Conference that is only getting better and better, every game counts, and now, thanks to the Clippers, the Warriors' competition doesn't look as daunting.
It turns out that the allegations that Los Angeles circumvented the salary cap by funneling millions to Kawhi Leonard in off-court deals were true. The independent investigating firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz released its findings, and the league issued a slew of punishments to the Clippers, from losing five first-round draft picks to suspending Steve Ballmer for a year.
That means the Clippers will be in purgatory for quite a while. For the Warriors, there will be one less team to battle with in the standings.
This past season, Los Angeles (42-40) finished ninth in the West, five games ahead of No. 10 Golden State. And the season before, the No. 5 Clippers (50-32) finished two games ahead of the No. 7 Warriors.
You can go back a few more seasons and see LA ahead of Golden State, since the last time the Warriors finished above the Clippers was in 2021-22.
Assuming the Leonard trade to the Raptors goes through (and there have been no reports that it won't), Los Angeles shouldn't be much of a concern now, even with the injuries that Golden State is dealing with entering the season.
Clippers are on a self-inflicted downfall
The league's new lottery reform system, in place starting this season, will curb teams from tanking and pose an even bigger challenge to the Warriors in the West. Remember, toward the end of last season, Golden State was guaranteed to fall no lower than No. 10 in the conference because there was no real competition below it (and the Pelicans weren't even trying to tank).
The Clippers won't be incentivized to tank, but given their situation, they should be eyeing something like a fire sale to recoup the draft assets they've lost. They've already ripped their future to shreds.
Golden State can take advantage of that in more ways than one that extend beyond competing for a postseason spot.
The Warriors seem to be preparing for a big trade, whether before the deadline or next summer, and given how the Clippers' draft arsenal looks right now, they shouldn't have to worry about competing with LA there, either. The same goes for free agency next year, as Los Angeles could've set its sights on clearing cap space to chase a star. Doing so now would be of little use, as it'd be an impossible sell.
It all makes Golden State's hopes of making another title push with Curry look at least a little more likely, all without the Warriors needing to lift a finger. The small victories matter.
Add us as a preferred source on Google