When Chris Paul bolted for Houston, the general sentiment around the NBA was he slammed the franchise’s championship window on his way out.
But then the Clippers coaxed Blake Griffin to stay on a maximum contract, and on Monday night, the Clippers were close to another free agency win, finalizing a three-team sign-and-trade deal that would net Denver’s leading scorer last season, forward Danilo Gallinari.
According to reports, the Clippers were prepared to send out Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone and a future first-round pick to absorb Gallinari in a three-team sign-and-trade with Atlanta and Denver. As part of the deal, Denver would land All-Star Paul Millsap, who agreed to a three-year, $90 million deal with the Nuggets on Thursday.