Although the Lakers did not have a lottery pick in this year’s draft, they somehow ended up creating the most buzz. The reason? Drafting LeBron James’ son Bronny with their 55 pick. However, not much has happened since draft night, as Rob Pelinka has made no significant moves in free agency to improve his roster. Meanwhile, their city rivals, the Clippers, have been pretty busy in the last couple of days making some huge moves.

But seeing Paul George leave in free agency, veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith believes that the Clippers will once again have to live in the Lakers’ shadow, citing Bronny James’ acquisition as one of the reasons.

Bronny James is enough to steal the Clippers’ limelight

Addressing PG’s departure on The Stephen A. Smith Show, the analyst was not too pleased with the Clippers letting him go without being able to get anything in return. “You’re gonna let him walk out the door for nothing.” Just like the Warriors did with Klay, the Clippers could have somehow facilitated a sign and trade for PG but chose not to, ending their only chances of getting a few assets in exchange for the superstar. But now, the Clippers have no option but to rely on their questionable superstar duo of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.

Despite Steve Ballmer’s constant efforts to overtake the Lakers, the Clippers are still an afterthought in their own city. When reaching the Conference Finals once in franchise history is a team’s biggest achievement, it’s safe to say that they are not doing something right. Stephen A. believes that while the Lakers have not made any moves in free agency so far, just the mere addition of Bronny James will be enough to take the attention away from the Clippers, “Hell, they even got Bronny James because even though he ain’t gonna play, he’ll generate more headlines than the Clippers.”

Never before has a late second-round pick been talked about this much before even making his NBA debut. But by creating history with LeBron to become the first-ever father-son duo in the league, all eyes will be on Bronny in the upcoming season. Meanwhile, the Clippers’ questionable moves continue to raise concerns.

Stephen A. Smith doesn’t have faith in the Clippers

Likely to make up for PG’s departure, the Clippers re-signed James Harden on a massive two-year $70 million offer with a player option for year two. Although a former MVP and still one of the best playmakers in the league, Stephen A. continues to have doubts regarding his playoff performance, “The problem is he’s not big time in big moments.” Even in the Dallas series, Harden played great in the first few encounters but ended up scoring only 23 points in the final two crucial games. And historically, Harden has choked multiple times in pressure moments when his team needed him to shine.

Moreover, with Kawhi as their primary superstar for the next three years, the Clippers’ future is far from secure. Although unstoppable when he is healthy and available, Kawhi somehow seems like a liability on the team because of his lingering injury concerns. And Stephen A. didn’t hold back on his criticism for the two-time champ, “All you have in return is a superstar talent who does absolutely positively nothing to promote your franchise.” Because of so many major concerns about their primary duo, the analyst could not picture Steve Ballmer’s team overtaking the Lakers anytime soon. “The Los Angeles Clippers are officially the Fairweather stepchildren of the Los Angeles Lakers yet again.”

While it might be a tough pill to swallow for the Clippers organization, the veteran analyst might be correct in his assessment. With PG and Kawhi failing to even reach the finals in five seasons, it seems highly unlikely that the Clippers will be able to go very far now that they don’t even have Paul in the squad. Meanwhile, the Lakers still have the star power of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, a new head coach in JJ Redick, and the freshness of Bronny James to look forward to for next season.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.