The Clippers (3-1), who needed a blowout win to advance, trailed by 10 points after the first quarter and by 19 at halftime before staging a second-half rally that got them within three points with 1:08 left. Cam Christie missed a 3-point attempt with four seconds left, and the Nuggets (1-3) made a pair of free throws to close out the win.

Jordan Miller had 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go with 14 rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes to lead the Clippers. Patrick Baldwin Jr. added 16 points, six rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots in 27 minutes, while Christie had 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Trentyn Flowers added 12 points and five assists.

Neither team shot the ball well, with the Clippers shooting 36% overall and the Nuggets at 38.7%. The Clippers hoisted 38 shots from behind the arc but made just nine, with Christie (6 for 17 overall, 2 for 10 from 3-point range) and Flowers (5 for 19 overall, 2 for 11 from deep) struggling to find their range.

Second-year forward/center DaRon Holmes II continued a strong summer showing for the Nuggets with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting to go with 16 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Spencer Jones added 17 points, six assists, three steals and two blocks and Tamar Bates contributed 11 points, seven assists and two steals.

The Clippers will conclude their summer league schedule against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday at 5 p.m.

But now, no matter how you look at it, how you waive and stretch it, Beal is a steal – for the Clippers.

They’ve reportedly agreed to sign the three-time All-Star who has averaged 21.5 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game in his career. A shooting guard who has shot 37.6% from 3-point range in 13 NBA seasons to insert in place of Norman Powell, the guard they gave up in the three-team trade that brought over power forward John Collins, who had long been on the Clippers’ wish list.

And they’ll be getting Beal – once he clears waivers – for the low-low price of two years for $11 million, or $5.35 this season, according to ESPN.

Everyone else involved in this agreement? Shall we say they’re not making out quite like those bandit Clippers.

Beal – who has made more than $318 million so far – reportedly will be giving back $13.9 million, or $2.9 million more than the Clippers will pay him. Imagine having made so much money or being so unfulfilled in a job that you would forfeit literal millions to take a new gig. Or maybe both, in Beal’s case.

And imagine wanting to rid your roster of a player and his massive deal so badly that you’d pay him $19.4 million per year for the next five years to play for another team in the same conference, as the Phoenix Suns have agreed to. What can we say? The second apron strikes again; teams will pay a fortune for flexibility.

Once again, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and his team of big-game bargain hunters are among this offseason’s big winners. And these days I’m not sure that doesn’t matter almost as much as being actual winners. The public seems so tuned-in to roster construction and ready to tune out for the games.

So let’s lean into it: On paper, the Clippers look formidable. The team that won 50 regular-season games last season, that’s led by Coach Tyronn Lue and his stalwart staff, that pushed the Denver Nuggets to a seventh game in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs – it’s more talented now.

On paper, the Clippers look tough. They have more ball-handling with Beal, who also provides the scoring to replace Powell’s pop. And there’s more defense around the rim with Collins and Brook Lopez – who both give the Clippers different looks and sudden depth around the basket that they haven’t had since Isaiah Hartenstein was around in 2021-22, hanging in Ivica Zubac’s shadow.

On paper, they look like they could be contenders. Starting for the Clippers: James Harden and Beal in the backcourt, plus two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, Collins and Zubac. And that quintet has a quintet of proven role players to back them up: Kris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum and Lopez.

On paper, the Clippers look good.

But the Clippers have scored well on paper before.

Remember 2019-20, the beginning of the 213 Era, when the Clippers were odds-on favorites to win the championship and people were talking about George and Leonard as possibly the greatest wing duo ever? Recall the coronation that was being planned for a project that never even sniffed the finish line, before the Clippers let George walk last summer in exchange for nothing but that much-coveted flexibility?

Or remember the Lakers’ lineup in 2021-22, when they built a team that was a who’s who of recognizable veterans to play alongside LeBron James, darn-near ageless, but 37 that year. Carmelo Anthony came aboard, with Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, DeAndre Jordan and Rajon Rondo, a bunch of guys with a whole bunch of experience – none of them with fewer than 15 seasons in the league. Plus, yes, Russell Westbrook, then in Year 13.

It was a squad strong on name power and … well, name power. And short on youth. And, eventually, on wins, finishing 33-49 and 11th in the Western Conference.

And, on paper, these Clippers look old.

At a time when youth is winning the day, the Clippers are trying it the other way. At least for now, at least until their partnership with Leonard – under contract until July 2027 – expires.

The Thunder team that just won the NBA championship went into last season as the youngest in the league, at 24.148 years of age. And the Indiana team it faced in the Finals? The Pacers set out with players whose average age was just 25.263 years.

Meanwhile, the Clippers entered last season with the NBA’s third-oldest roster, at 27.358 years old. Now, in addition to the 32-year-old Beal, they’ve brought aboard the 37-year-old Lopez to play alongside the 35-year-old Harden and 34-year-old Leonard. And they haven’t even yet added 40-year-old Chris Paul, once the leader of those star-crossed Lob City teams who is rumored to be plotting a return on a veteran minimum contract.

So, absolutely, on paper, the Clippers look promising, like they could have a puncher’s chance in what was a closely contested conference last season.

But the question that will be worth most on the final exam, kids, wasn’t whether they could make the math work on another reclamation venture in the offseason. It’s whether they’ll be able to keep Kawhi and all those old guys on the court during the basketball season?

Leonard, recall, didn’t start playing last season until Game 35 because of what the team characterized as “right knee injury recovery.” Meanwhile, over in Phoenix, Beal averaged 17 points in 53 games, but he missed many others with aches and pains in his elbow, calf, knee, hip, ankle, toe and hamstring.

Let’s say the Clippers can keep the injury bug at bay – there are more questions: Can this smartly assembled squad of seasoned veterans keep up with opponents’ spry stars so many years their junior? Can they defend them? Will they outsmart them? And, ultimately, can they give the Clippers the utmost bang for their buck?

That’s something to work out when the actual basketball begins, though.

For now, it’s summertime and the Clippers are winning.

Beal reportedly will sign a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after he clears waivers, Mark Bartelstein, Beal’s agent, told ESPN on Wednesday. The player option for the 2026-27 season is expected to make Beal one of the top available free agents next summer.

The Clippers are hoping Beal, given a fresh start, can fit in alongside veteran stars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard and help push them beyond the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers have failed to advance to the second round since the franchise’s lone trip to the Western Conference finals in the 2020-21 season.

The oft-injured Beal can still be a viable piece despite the wear and tear of 13 seasons.

The shooting guard is a career 46.4% shooter who spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Washington Wizards. He enjoyed his best years in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, when he averaged 30.9 points and shot 35.2% from 3-point range.

Beal, 32, averaged 17.6 points while shooting 50.5% from the field and 40.7% from 3-point range in 106 games over his two seasons with the Suns.

Speculation of where Beal would land began long before the Suns negotiated the buyout and the Clippers were always among the possible destinations. The chatter grew louder after the Clippers traded Norman Powell to the Miami Heat on July 7, along with a 2027 draft pick, leaving an open guard spot on the roster.

Beal is reportedly giving back $13.9 million out of the $110 million on the final two years of his contract to complete the buyout with the Suns, who will likely waive-and-stretch the remaining salary over five years to reduce his annual cap hit on their books.

Beal was set to make more than $53 million during the 2025-26 season with the Suns.

Miller had a strong offensive effort that helped offset James’ best performance of the summer, igniting a game-ending run that led the Clippers to a 67-58 victory in an NBA Summer League game on Monday night at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center.

The Clippers (3-0) held the Lakers to 22 field goals and 34.4% shooting while forcing 19 turnovers. Trailing with 3:26 left, the Clippers closed the game on an 11-0 run that started with a Miller 3-pointer. Zavier Simpson added a pair of free throws with 2:30 left, then a Miller driving layup made it a 63-58 lead with a minute left.

The Lakers’ Dalton Knecht missed a corner 3-point attempt with 45 seconds left, then a Miller steal and layup with 13 seconds left essentially iced the game. Miller tacked on another layup in the final seconds, giving him nine points during the game-clinching surge.

The Lakers (1-2 in Las Vegas, 3-3 overall this summer) missed their final seven shots of the night.

Miller finished with a team-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Simpson added 12 points, six assists, four rebounds and two blocked shots, while Patrick Baldwin Jr. contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks and rookie first-round draft pick Yanic Konan Niederhauser had 10 points, two rebounds and two steals. Cam Christie added eight points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals.

James shot 6 for 10 from the field on his way to a team-best 17 points, while adding five rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes. Cole Swider had 16 points, five rebounds and three steals while shooting 6 for 14 from the field (4 for 11 from 3-point range).

Knecht added eight points, seven rebounds and two assists on a poor shooting night (3 for 15 overall, 1 for 8 from behind the arc), while Christian Koloko had eight points, three rebounds and three steals. Darius Bazley was held to one point, four rebounds and two assists while attempting just one shot.

On a night when neither team shot well, the Clippers opened a 22-13 lead after the first quarter. James and the Lakers right themselves some in the second quarter and outscored the Clippers 18-10 to trail by just one at halftime.

UP NEXT

The Lakers face the Boston Celtics on Thursday at 6 p.m. The Clippers face the Denver Nuggets on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Both teams will play at least one additional game on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday, with the Clippers still alive for a spot in the semifinals.

“I love playing, I love hooping. I’ve loved it since I was a little kid,” Lopez said Monday at a news conference a few hours before the Clippers and Lakers were set to face off in an NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas. “I watched my older brothers play. I’ve always been around it and love winning just as much. I want to keep winning.”

Now, Lopez brings that passion and winning attitude to the Clippers. The 7-foot-1 center signed a two-year, $18 million free agent contract with the team this month that he believes will allow him to pursue another championship. Lopez helped the Milwaukee Bucks win the 2021 title.

“I want to keep winning,” he said. “I got a great taste for it in Milwaukee and these guys are all about that here and I’m all about it, so it’s a perfect fit.”

Unlike his situation with the Bucks, where he started, Lopez will come off the bench for the Clippers. He will back up Ivica Zubac, a second-team NBA All-Defense selection last season, a role he said he is comfortable playing.

But that doesn’t mean Lopez, 37, will change his style. He said he will continue to help spread the floor, play aggressive defense and post up.

“Bottom line, I just want to help the team win,” said Lopez, who averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.9 blocked shots while shooting 50.9% from the floor and 37.3% from 3-point range last season. “Whatever they need me to do, whatever they see fit for my role, I’m going to be working as hard as possible to be great at that. Even if it’s something that I haven’t done yet or I may not be great at, I’m going to put my best foot forward, put the work in, I’m going to be great at it, I’m going to help the team work (toward winning).”

Lopez joins a team that won 50 regular-season games last season but was ousted in the first round of the playoffs by a Denver Nuggets squad that boasted more frontcourt size. Lopez’s size, along with the 7-foot Zubac, 6-9 John Collins and 7-foot rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser, gives the Clippers some formidable frontcourt options.

Lopez said he is looking forward to playing alongside Zubac, who he played with briefly on the Lakers in 2018. Zubac was traded to the Clippers at midseason, but that doesn’t mean he lost sight of the young Croatian. He said he has watched Zubac continue to improve every season, saying the “sky’s the limit for him.”

“I think we complement each other extremely well,” he said. “Obviously, we’ll be very big. I think we’d be great defensively just dominating the paint, sealing the paint off and then, offensively, we complement each other there as well. I’ll spread the floor for him, give ’em all the room and the paint for him to go wild.”

Lopez also is eager to benefit from James Harden’s elite playmaking ability.

“I’m going to get as many pick-and-rolls with him as possible,” he said. “Just get in that pocket. I know he’s going to make something good happen.”

But it’s not just Harden who has peaked Lopez’s excitement in joining the Clippers. He called Collins, who the Clippers acquired in the three-team trade that sent Norman Powell to Miami last week, talented and competitive, a player who gives the team more creativity in the frontcourt.

“I think we can have a frontcourt that can dominate in so many different ways with so many different lineups. It’s just scary.”

Lopez went on to say that the Clippers have a “ton of great players, obviously Hall of Famers, All-Stars, some great young players, my guy Zubie. … There’s just a great chance to win the championship here.”

Patrick Baldwin Jr. had 22 points, 13 rebounds and three steals to pace the Clippers (2-0), while Cam Christie and Jordan Miller each added 21 points. Trentyn Flowers had 15 points and second-round draft pick Kobe Sanders contributed 13 points in 18 minutes off the bench, while Zavier Simpson added 12 points, four rebounds and five steals in 24 minutes.

Center Yanic Konan Niederhauser, the Clippers’ first-round draft pick last month, had two points, three rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot in 23 minutes. Kobe Brown, who left Friday night’s game against the Houston Rockets with what the team called a right ankle contusion, was held out.

The Clippers led by four points at halftime, but the Bucks closed the third quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 74-73 lead into the final period. The Bucks missed their first 10 shots of the fourth, and the Clippers took advantage, using a 15-0 run to open an 88-74 lead with 6:08 left. Christie scored the first six points of the run with three free throws and a 3-pointer.

Milwaukee used a 10-2 surge to get within 95-86 with 2:48 left, but the Clippers ended the threat.

Chris Livingston had 21 points to pace the Bucks (0-2), while the big man duo of Pete Nance (18 points) and Bogoljub Marković (14 points) provided a steady inside presence.

The Clippers shot 14 for 32 from 3-point range on a night when the teams combined for 42 turnovers (22 for the Bucks) and 53 fouls in the 40-minute game. Baldwin shot 4 for 10 from behind the arc, while Christie was 3 for 6 and Miller was 3 for 7. Simpson shot 2 for 3.

Miller had 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Clippers outlasted the Houston Rockets, 95-92, in the NBA Summer League opener for both teams on Friday night at Cox Pavilion.

Miller, who can use these games as an opportunity to show the Clippers and the rest of the league what he has to offer, shot 7 for 18 from the field (2 for 7 from 3-point range) to go with two assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 34 minutes.

Cam Christie had 21 points and six rebounds while shooting 6 for 12 from the field (3 for 9 from 3-point range), while Kobe Brown had 14 points and Trentyn Flowers added 13 points and six rebounds.

Brown got off to a strong start but was in the locker room with an ankle injury well before the game ended. He got tangled with a Rockets defender in the third quarter, and the player fell on his right ankle. Brown limped to the locker room a few minutes later and did not return with what team officials told reporters was a right ankle contusion.

Brown, the 30th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, scored 10 of his points in the first quarter, shooting 4 for 5 from the field (2 for 2 from 3-point range). He added four rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes before departing.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser, the Clippers’ first-round draft pick last month, had just one point but grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked four shots and had two steals in 26 minutes. The 6-foot-11 center from Penn State shot 0 for 4 from the field.

Second-round pick Kobe Sanders (Nevada) had 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting in 14 minutes.

Reed Sheppard paced the Rockets with 28 points on 10-of-25 shooting (6 for 15 from behind the arc) to go with eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks, while Kennedy Chandler added 22 points and five rebounds.

But I do wonder if the NBA, in its attempt to emulate the NFL as an all-year talking point, has miscalculated. Pro football has skillfully extended its calendar to almost a 365-day conversation piece: The Super Bowl leads into the combine, which leads into the draft, which leads into OTAs and minicamps and the release of the schedule, which leads into spending the month of June talking about training camps that start in July.

Maybe Adam Silver needs to take this a little more seriously. The NBA Finals end, the draft is later that week, free agency is the week after that – actually the real news is on July 1, and then team announcements of those deals six days after the fact – and boom, most of the conversation that drives interest is done three weeks in.

We have Summer League, which might or might not become known as Bronny James’ Season, but by late July all is quiet. The schedule is released in August, but we already know the Lakers and Clippers have been placed in the same group for the NBA Cup – or is it the Emirates’ NBA Cup? I’ve lost track. Whether you like that schedule gimmick or not, and I would be in the “not” category, at least it’s a “news” development.

So, Mirjam, before we begin dissecting what the Lakers and Clippers did in the last week or so, what would your suggestion be for getting the NBA into top-of-mind status in August and early September?

Mirjam Swanson: Oh man. As a recovering NBA beat writer, I hate this idea. Haha.

Give us our August and September without having to worry about putting our phones down for five minutes for fear of missing breaking NBA news. Plus, how can we, as an audience, miss the NBA if it’s never gone? Like, most of the country does have seasons, and personally I think we should embrace it.

Also, this is the WNBA’s time to shine! Let Caitlin and Angel and Phee have the floor; they’re putting on a good show.

And I’d argue football is a different animal, or you might say, the NBA isn’t the same beast. Americans have a different appetite for football – and maybe, to your point, that’s because we’re used to being fed football news 12 months a year.

But I wouldn’t trust the NBA to give us offseason fodder worth our attention. I mean, we’ve seen the mess they’ve made of the All-Star Game and that weekend, right? And I don’t know, I still haven’t managed to get myself to feel strongly, or even mildly, about the In-Season Tournament.

So I don’t think we need anything scheduled, per se, especially because around here, the Lakers are always going to be top of mind anyway.

And, speaking of … so, Jim, what have you made of the Lakers’ offseason so far?

Jim: Taking in the comments from Deandre Ayton the other day, my first thought is, “Hmm, maybe he gets it after all.” And it seems that (a) his skills fit the rim protector/lob threat vision in the Lakers’ lineup, and (b) after a situation in Portland that didn’t seem conducive to his development, being on the same court with LeBron James and Luka Doncic daily will give Ayton the best opportunity to be his best – if he takes advantage of it. Words are meaningless once the ball goes up.

Re-signing Jaxson Hayes to be the backup probably isn’t a bad call. There were times, after the Anthony Davis trade, when Hayes looked like a better-than-adequate NBA center. Problem is, with this franchise better-than-adequate isn’t nearly enough.

Now, is Jake LaRavia better than a better-than-adequate replacement for Dorian Finney-Smith? Jury’s out there. I thought DFS was a near-perfect addition to their system when he came over from Brooklyn, just from the standpoint of doing a lot of little things that contribute to winning. Then again, it’s hard to tell until you see a guy in a particular team’s system and alongside its personnel. LaRavia’s 3-point shooting ability seems to be a plus, and if he can be a true 3-and-D player this was money well spent.

These aren’t sexy acquisitions. But they fit the Lakers’ budget, as in “how do we upgrade and stay out of the second apron?”

Mirjam: I think the Lakers are in better shape than a lot of people think they are – including their own hard-to-please fans, whose sky-high expectations are part of what make the Lakers the Lakers, of course.

But whatever happened with the Finney-Smith negotiations, it worked out well for the Lakers. They essentially traded him – a good, aging player – for an up-and-coming 23-year-old 3-and-D guy with something to prove yet AND that much-needed good center – better, my friends, than should-be backups Brook Lopez and Clint Capella – with something to prove and lots of upside, if things go right.

The jury you mentioned is mixed, it seems, on Ayton, who is just 26. There was the Athletic piece that detailed all the ways he irritated people in Portland – anonymously sourced; the NBA is nothing if not petty and, more and more, teams love to throw shade as players are walking away.

But there were also accounts from reporters like Sean Highkin, who is on the ground, covering the team every day, about how admirably Ayton actually carried himself in Portland. One of several tweets defending the big man: “One thing I really respected about him this past season was how visibly/vocally he supported and helped out (fellow big man Donovan) Clingan. He could have felt a certain way about them drafting someone at his position in the top 10 but he embraced him right away and always hyped him up to us.”

And anyone who blames him for the Trail Blazers’ woes isn’t understanding what the Blazers are doing up there.

I’m not saying he’s a perfect player, but, personally, I’m going to give the guy the benefit of the doubt because the misgivings seem a bit much.

And – avert your eyes, Clippers fans – I witnessed the Valley-Oop live in Phoenix. That was an amazing play and an electric moment and I can imagine those sorts of things for him playing with Luka in purple and gold.

Jim: And as for the Clippers’ moves, they’re sounding as if John Collins is the last piece of the puzzle. I’m not sure that’s accurate – the ultimate success of this team depends on (a) Kawhi Leonard’s health and (b) James Harden’s ability to push aside the ghosts of past playoff failures. But Collins does give them a true power forward and might be a better fit, as much as I hate to see Norman Powell go.

There’s this with the Collins situation, too: According to Sports Illustrated’s Karl Rasmussen, reporting on a suggestion made by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on a podcast hosted by fellow ESPN hoops reporter Brian Windhorst, Collins was “too damn productive” in Utah and, allegedly, hindered the Jazz’s tanking strategy.

Isn’t it amazing? One ESPN guy talks to another on a podcast and a Sports Illustrated guy reports it, and it doesn’t matter how flimsy the report might be, it’s the first thing you see when you Google “John Collins.” A reminder, then, to be careful who and what you believe. Just imagine when the AI bots start disseminating NBA “news” … if they haven’t already.

The other big move by the Clippers: bringing Brook Lopez back to SoCal as a backup for Ivica Zubac. Not a championship-securing move, but I’m OK with it, having someone who can relieve Zubac’s burden.

Mirjam: The Collins piece is a big one for the Clippers. As Lawrence Frank, the team’s president of basketball operations said this week, they’ve been trying to get him on the roster for years. Years!

But I don’t know that it’s so much even reporting as common sense to think that the hard-tanking Jazz didn’t have much use for productive players. I mean, they did get fined $100,000 last season for violating the NBA’s player participation policy for failing to make their standout power forward Lauri Markkanen available in games, even though he was healthy.

But I don’t think Collins is the last piece of the Clippers’ puzzle. For their sake, I’d hope not. Because, if the reporting on the NBA’s never-totally-dormant rumor mill is to be believed, they’ve got their sights squarely on Bradley Beal once – if? – he’s bought out in Phoenix.

We’re assuming so, because they traded away Powell and now there’s a massive void in terms of ball-handling and scoring, a hole that Beal sure would fit snugly.

So we wait to see when (if?) he’s really going to give back a brain-numbing $13 million – and his no-trade clause, by the way – in the process of accepting a buyout of the remaining two years and $110.8 million in the deal he had with the Suns.

What do the Clippers have to offer him after that? As our Janis Carr wrote this week: “They have the $5.3 non-taxpayer mid-level exception available and are expected to target a backup point guard, with reports indicating they are interested in pursuing both Bradley Beal if/when he is bought out by the Phoenix Suns and perhaps reuniting with Chris Paul, who has said the upcoming season will be his last.”

It feels, from all the reporting, that the buyout and Beal’s eventual destination are foregone conclusions, and I suppose he’ll expect to land in a better situation in L.A. that resets his value going forward – not unlike Ayton hopes to do with the Lakers. But, man, I am having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that a player would forfeit not just $1 or 2 million, but as much as $13 million.

Good for the Clippers, when (if?) it works out. They’re not winning a title this year – as the league is getting younger, they’re getting older … but believe they have big dreams for 2027. Still, we ought to applaud their dedication to putting quality teams on the court every single season. Next season won’t be any different.

Jim: I find it intriguing – fascinating, actually – that a player doesn’t work out in one organization, but another will take a shot figuring it has the key to unlock whatever remaining performance is in there. I’m curious how much of those decisions are actual assessments of the player, his situation and his potential usefulness – as opposed to organizational arrogance, as in, “We can straighten him out.”

I’ve got to think that – in all sports, not just this one – there are so many analysts and so much number-crunching in front offices that there are plenty of ways to make a rational assessment, especially with so much money involved. But I’m sure there are organizations where the people in charge let that arrogance get in the way, and I suspect more often than not they’re the ones at the bottom of the standings.

Which brings us to that other sport. There are now exactly three weeks until baseball’s trade deadline.

Forget the current Dodgers’ losing streak. Lots of fans seem to be heading for the ledge, but slumps happen during a 162-game season, and the defending champs are in the middle of a bad one. More significantly, though, while the Dodgers are 56-38 and have the second-best record in baseball even after this bad stretch, they’re 20-22 against teams over .500, including these last six straight losses to the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers. That, plus the lengthy injured list – 11 pitchers alone at this moment – has people yelling “Do something!”

But if you’re Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes, do you go all in at the deadline or do you take the chance that those guys who are supposed to be part of the master plan – Blake Snell, Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, etc. – will be ready for the stretch run?

Mirjam: I don’t think it’s a hot take to suggest that the Dodgers will be fine. Just fine.

Because, No. 1, they’re so loaded that anytime they activate one of their own players from that well-populated injured list, it’s like making a major acquisition.

And No. 2, for me, it’s a matter of trust. We know the Dodgers’ front office knows what it’s doing, so if there’s a move to be made, it’s going to be a smart one, and with a team as talented as this one, it doesn’t need to be an all-in blockbuster, either.

Because, thinking about your point above, about teams thinking they can get something out of players that other organizations could? Has there been another team as good at doing that as the Dodgers? Probably not many, if any.

Didn’t Max Muncy just about think he was done when the Oakland A’s released him back in 2017? He’s done all right as a Dodger.

Chris Taylor had a similar story, coming from the Seattle Mariners, I recall. And Evan Phillips, who they claimed off waivers after it didn’t work out for him in Philadelphia. Alex Vesia had an 18.69 ERA with the Miami Marlins in 2020 before the Dodgers fished him out of the so-called scrap heap. And on and on … I think the organization can absolutely matter. The infrastructure, the coaching, the philosophies – though, sometimes, it’s a matter of perception. Back to the Suns’ Beal, for a bit: He’s a real good player; he’s just not a five-year, $250 million god-tier player.

But, yes, in the Dodgers’ current case: I say the defending World Series champions, with that second-best record in all of the baseball, they should definitely stick with the master plan.

Jim: I’ve often wondered, not being a devotee of picking fantasy teams myself, what the lure is. Why do people invest so much time in playing general manager? Maybe it’s because there’s comparatively little risk in putting together a fantasy team, no salary caps or luxury tax thresholds, and no real world consequences – beyond being laughed at by your acquaintances – in screwing up a pick or signing the wrong guy at the wrong time. At the highest levels, enough bad decisions or risky ones that blow up in your face can cost your job. (Ask Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, after he and Manager Davey Martinez both got fired the last few days, victims of a rebuild that hasn’t been fruitful.)

Which brings me to one last question/observation: If you’re the Angels, with a promising young core of players and sitting just three games out of a wild-card spot, is it too soon in those players’ development to go all-in at the deadline? The risk there: They don’t seem to have a lot of bargaining chips in a farm system that still seems to lag in player development, especially given that a number of the guys now playing key roles have been rushed through (or past) the minors to the major-league roster.

And also consider: The last time the Angels went all-in at the trade deadline, two years ago, they wound up going into a slump that took them out of the wild-card race, they wound up waiving some of those players they’d acquired to try to get under the luxury tax threshold, and their very best player wound up taking his talents up the 5 to Chavez Ravine.

Lots to think about.

Mirjam: Indeed. And so I’ll say: If I was the Angels, I wouldn’t sell this year either.

No, because what they’re selling to their fans is that they’ve got youth worth developing – which they do. I wouldn’t give any of those young (and affordable) dudes up.

Not to mention that they’re three games out of a wild-card spot right now. That’s not a layup, of course, for an Angels team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2014 … but it’s not out of the ballpark of possibility. And I think they owe it to their loyal and long-suffering fans to give it a shot if there’s any shot at playing playoff baseball.

The crosstown rivals were placed in West Group B for the third iteration of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, the league announced Wednesday, alongside the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans.

All 30 teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2024-25 regular season.

The Lakers will be the top seed in West Group B and the Clippers will be the No. 2 seed. The Grizzlies are the No. 3 seed, the Mavericks are slotted at No. 4 and the Pelicans are No. 5.

Group-play games for the 2025 NBA Cup will take place on Fridays from Oct. 31-Nov. 28. Quarterfinal games, to be played at the arena of the higher-seeded team, will take place Tuesday, Dec. 9, and Wednesday, Dec. 10. The semifinals will be played Saturday, Dec. 13, in Las Vegas and the final – which will not count toward the season record or statistics for either of the clubs involved – is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 16, also in Las Vegas.

Each team will play one game against each of the four opponents in its group – two games at home and two on the road.

Eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals: the team with the best standing in group-play games in each of the six groups and one wild-card team from each conference. The wild card will be the team from each conference with the best record in group-play games that finished second in its group (with point differential a tiebreaker).

Teams that do not reach the quarterfinals or semifinals will have added to their schedules matchups against two other teams that also did not qualify for the Cup playoffs, pushing the season to the full 82 games.

Quarterfinal and semifinal games will count toward the regular season for the teams involved.

The Lakers will host the Clippers and Mavericks, and travel to the Grizzlies and Pelicans. The Clippers will host the Grizzlies and Pelicans, and travel to the Mavericks and Lakers.

The game and broadcast schedules for group play will be announced in August, coinciding with the rest of the NBA’s schedule rollout for the 2025-26 season.

The groups:

East Group A – Cleveland, Indiana, Atlanta, Toronto, Washington

East Group B – Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn, Philadelphia

East Group C – Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Miami, Charlotte

West Group A – Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah

West Group B – Lakers, Clippers, Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans

West Group C – Houston, Denver, Golden State, Portland, San Antonio

The 25-year-old Miller averaged 4.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game across 37 regular-season appearances last season.

Miller, a 2023 second-round draft pick by the Clippers, earned a standard four-year, $8.3 million deal on March 1 after also starring for the Clippers’ G League team during his first two seasons. He also was impressive in the 2023 Summer League, finishing second in the MVP voting.

He is on the team’s 2025 Summer League roster and is expected to remain with the organization for now. The Clippers’ summer league opener against the Milwaukee Bucks is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Cox Pavilion.

If the Clippers cannot find a suitor for Miller within the first 48 hours after being waived, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.