LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two first-round draft picks with potential to crack the starting lineup have the Los Angeles Clippers’ front office feeling pretty good about the future. And free agency is still a couple days away.
Forward Al-Farouq Aminu of Wake Forest and guard Eric Bledsoe of Kentucky each expressed excitement Monday about joining a team that has missed the playoffs 15 times in the last 17 years.
The Clippers took Aminu with the eighth pick in the first round of last week’s NBA draft. They later traded a future first-round pick to Oklahoma City in exchange for Bledsoe. They took guard Willie Warren of Oklahoma with the 54th pick in the second round.
The Clippers consider Aminu and Bledsoe to be good fits with the core group of All-Star center Chris Kaman, last year’s No. 1 draft pick Blake Griffen, former All-Star Baron Davis and Eric Gordon.
