The LA Clippers just lost five first-round picks.
Which means somewhere in Salt Lake City … the Ainge family should be picking up the phone.
The NBA dropped the hammer on Los Angeles this week following its investigation into salary-cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard, stripping the Clippers of one first-round selection in each draft from 2029 through 2033.
Five first-round picks … gone .
That's a devastating development for any organization. For a Clippers franchise already staring at an uncertain future, it could also create an opportunity for the Utah Jazz .
Utah has spent years collecting the exact currency Los Angeles suddenly needs more of — draft capital.
That doesn't mean Austin Ainge should call Lawrence Frank and start offering first-round picks for anyone Los Angeles is willing to move. Quite the opposite.
The Jazz should be looking for the bargain.
Jordan Miller might be one.
The 26-year-old wing quietly developed into a legitimate NBA contributor last season, averaging 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists across 60 games while shooting 53.1% from the field.
Los Angeles clearly liked what it saw. The Clippers re-signed Miller to a reported three-year, $15.3 million contract this summer — an inexpensive deal for a player who finally established himself as a regular NBA contributor.
Under normal circumstances, there isn't much reason for Los Angeles to move him.
These aren't normal circumstances.
The Clippers just watched five opportunities to inject first-round talent into their organization disappear, leaving Los Angeles with a fascinating question about how it intends to build its next competitive roster.
Miller will turn 27 in January.
By the time the Clippers realistically work through this mess and position themselves for their next era, he could be pushing 30 … and Utah shouldn't mind that one bit.
The Jazz have Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey, Keyonte George and Jaren Jackson Jr. already forming the foundation of something interesting. Adding a productive wing on an affordable contract who has already shown he can contribute at the NBA level would make plenty of sense.
Here's where it gets even more interesting.
Utah already owns the Clippers' own 2027 second-round pick after acquiring it in last summer's John Collins trade.
Could Los Angeles value getting one of its few remaining near-term draft assets back enough to make Miller available?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Ainge should certainly find out.
The Clippers aren't going to start giving players away because the NBA erased five picks from their future. Cheap contributors could become even more valuable to an organization suddenly short on avenues to acquire young talent.
That shouldn't stop Utah from testing the market.
The NBA's punishment changed the Clippers' long-term equation overnight. Their need for draft capital just became a whole lot more obvious, and the Jazz happen to have plenty of it.
They even have one of Los Angeles' own picks sitting in their pocket.
If there was ever a time to see exactly what that's worth … it's now.
