Clippers sign Bill to comment on B+: Two traits are suitable for the new team. Harden can lead the substitute when he leaves the court

On July 17, Bill reached a buyout with the Suns and will sign the Clippers with a two-year, $11 million contract. ESPN signed Bills for the Clippers with rating: B+, the following is a detailed analysis -

Last week, the Clippers traded starting shooting guard Norman Powell to the Miami Heat in exchange for John Collins. At that time, we expected the Clippers to have a follow-up plan, and now they have finally completed the second step of the plan.

Due to the vacancy in the backcourt of Harden's partner, once Bill completes the buyout agreement with the Suns, the Clippers will become his natural next home.

Last season, Powell performed better and was more efficient with higher ball rights usage. Although Bill was still ranked second in the league with average score in the 2020-21 season, he has transformed into a role player in the Suns. A surprising statistic is: Powell, who just played his best season in his career, is a month older than Bill.

However, I can understand why the Clippers prefer to have both Bill and Collins than Powell and other players who can sign with the remaining middle class exception, even if the deal costs them a second round pick (sent to the Jazz in the deal).

Although Bill is no longer an All-Star player, his technical characteristics can still be well adapted to different roles. He was more of a prolific three-point shooter during the Wizards' high-scoring period, and in two seasons with the Suns, he shot 41% from three-pointers. As the offensive role weakens, Bill devotes more energy to creating opportunities and defense for his teammates. Both of these are important to the Clippers.

Specifically, Bill's most important value to the Clippers seems to be the backcourt that teamed up with Bogdan to lead the second team when Harden left the field. At present, there is no point guard in the traditional sense behind Harden - but Paul is still a free agent - and the Clippers seem to intend to let Bill and Bogdanovic share this responsibility.

Although Bill's vision as a starting point guard failed to meet the Suns, he and Bogdanovic should be able to provide enough organizational capabilities when facing the opponent's second team.

According to speculation, the Clippers will allow Bill and Harden to start together at least at the beginning of the season, and then achieve the above goals by staggering the two's playing time. Bill reluctantly took on the bench in the second half of last season, and it is hard to imagine that he would agree to return to the bench again now. In the playoffs, assuming the Clippers can successfully break through in the fiercely competitive West, Tyron Lu's decision on the starting lineup may become more complicated. Having Collins and Zubac starts in the frontcourt may be the best choice for the Clippers, but this way, Leonard becomes the team's main wing defender - the Clippers are likely to want to reduce this responsibility as much as possible so that Leonard can retain the energy to focus on the offense. In this case, Dunn or Derek Jones Jr. may be better suited to serve as the starting wing than Bill.

At present, this is a "happy worries". The Clippers will play 82 regular season games. Considering that Bill (who played more than 53 games last time was still in the shrinking 2020-21 season) and Leonard have always missed a lot, the team's depth will be crucial.

The Suns signed Bill with a maximum salary (especially considering the complexity of his trade veto), and the end result was negative. But now things are different, the Clippers get him at a very low price, and the player option in the contract gives Bill a chance to make up for the salary he gave up when he bought out, and if he performs well this season, he might even make more.

It is necessary to talk about the situation on the Suns side. To some extent, NBA rules limit the "dead money" cap on the books after teams complete resignations and split contracts, which may be beneficial to the Suns. This means that to reach such a legal buyout, Bill has to agree to give up his guaranteed salary of at least $14 million, which sets the bottom line for negotiations.

The Suns can get some basketball-level benefits by splitting Bill's salary to reduce their total salary. In fact, they can now use the $5.7 million mini-middle, but it is unclear whether any free agents are willing to accept the contract instead of the veteran's basic salary.

After getting rid of the second rich line, the Suns can combine their salary in the trade, and if center Mark Williams leaves the team as a restricted free agent, or he accepts a qualification offer to stay, the Suns will be able to use the full middle class next summer.

In the long run, splitting Bill's salary will be better for the Suns on the court than for the rest of his two seasons, but considering that his time at Phoenix was unpleasant for both sides, it is understandable that they just want to finish it.