NBA Rumors: Clippers Interested In 2 More Champion Raptors

With Kawhi Leonard having been reunited with his 2019 NBA champion teammate Norman Powell over the past year, perhaps the Los Angeles Clippers are now hoping to bring the whole Toronto Raptors championship team together, as a new rumor has them interested in both Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet as well.

The Clippers are interested in Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet, per @KevinOConnorNBA

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— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 24, 2023

As Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer writes, "with their future draft picks mortgaged and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George potentially becoming free agents in 2024, the time is now" for the Clippers to go all-in.

The word around the league is that the Clippers are heavily vested in upgrading at the point guard slot, where Reggie Jackson has been far less productive than they'd hoped, and no longer gets significant minutes. 

And while the Utah Jazz's veteran Mike Conley has been said to be a target, "league sources say the Clippers are also interested in Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet," writes O'Connor.

VanVleet... is overall the best target for the Clippers considering he’s only 28, he’s a relentless on-ball defender, and he was an All-Star just last season.

VanVleet becomes a free agent at season's end, once he declines his player option. 

O'Connor suggests that "the Clippers could offer something along the lines of (Luke) Kennard, (Terance) Mann, (Brandon) Boston, a future first-round pick, and a second-round pick or two" to land VanVleet.

FVV, Lowry, Powell and Leonard won a championship together in Toronto, and it was last April that Powell even compared his new team to the 2019 Raptors. That could take on new meaning if the Clips do somehow land VanVleet or Lowry.

Photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports