The LA Clippers are tied 1-1 in their series with the OKC Thunder and while the playoffs are going on, the future of the franchise is uncertain and some have speculated that Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan could ask for a trade if Donald Sterling or his wife Shelly Sterling fights and retains control of the franchise after their racist remarks and if so, the Chicago Bulls, NY Knicks, LA Lakers and Houston Rockets would be greatly interested in their services.
Doc Rivers has said that he is unsure of what he will do in the future now that all the news and racist remarks have come out into the public sphere and if he ends up leaving, it could signal a big shift for the franchise. David Stern enabled Donald Sterling for years and did nothing and he ended up making things worse, as he allowed the bad behavior by Sterling to be rewarded and that included the trade of Paul to the Clippers over the LA Lakers and that was a huge decision with implications lasting years.
The Lakers are a mess now and after becoming a free agent last year, Paul decided to stay with the Clippers and Blake Griffin signed an extension as well and now all that could be in question with the Sterling situation. Adam Silver acted quickly and decisively with the Sterling ban and fine, but now the real questions begin, as the NBA needs to show that they are serious about making Sterling sell. Adding to the situation is his peach of a wife Shelly, who has said she is not a racist, but past news reports have her saying things just as terrible as Sterling and also lying to try and find out information about minority tenants in buildings the family owned.
After making some comments supporting Shelly, Rivers walked that back and said it could be hard for him to stay if she stays in control, as he read about the past issues she has had and that could make things even more complicated if she tries to remain the co-owner or owner after the ban. The Clippers players are in the playoffs right now, so they haven't had time to decide what will happen and while a trade involving players like Paul or Griffin would be difficult and almost impossible to fathom, if Sterling remains in power, anything could go down.
Some have speculated that the NBA could grant the players free agency if Sterling tries to retain ownership, but Silver said that was not something the league was preparing to do. Making any of these trades would be very tough and this is a situation that the NBA is hoping to avoid, but if they can't get Sterling to sell and he fights in court, there could be some issues here and Paul will not stand by and stay quiet if Sterling remains in control.
Paul and Griffin are two of the best players in the NBA and even though they want to stay in LA, there are teams that would give up the farm for a chance to get them.
