After a white hot start the Clippers are starting to cool off. The cool off was inevitable as the team honestly isn’t talented enough to be the top seed in the West. I’m not saying they can’t get back on the right track and be a playoff team, just not the top seed. They aren’t THAT good as currently constructed. Their recent slide includes 3 losses in their last 4 games and came to a head Tuesday when they were outclassed by Toronto with Kawhi Leonard sitting out. If the Clippers wanted to show Kawhi they were the best place for him…they failed. The skid also includes a blowout loss to a banged up Miami team that was missing most of their top guys and only had 8 players in uniform. The only win was in OT against Phoenix. Inconsistency is one of the top traits of a bad team. If the Clippers were playing like one of the best teams early, they are playing like one of the worst now.
The Clippers 2018-2019 season has come to a crossroads. At 17-10 they still sit in 4th position in the West but could easily be out of playoff position in a week if they keep up their current play. Lou Williams hamstring injury could signal the end of the good fortune the team has had with injuries. Gallinari will surely miss some games. Probably sooner than later. All that said if the team has designs on making the playoffs this year a trade or trades are needed. If they stand pat and fall out of playoff contention, they would likely become sellers near the deadline. Point being, there will very likely be some moves made soon. Let’s take a look at who the Clippers might be looking at.
Enes Kanter – Not the sexiest name at all considering who the Clippers have been linked to. Kanter may be the best player at a realistic price for the Clippers. He is also in the last year of his contract so he wouldn’t kill the Clippers dreams of landing two max players in the summer. Kanter plays no D but it’s not like Gortat is killing it on that end. Kanter would be a huge upgrade from Gortat offensively and on the boards. The price tag shouldn’t be too high as he has lost his starting role and may not even be a part of the Knicks future plans. Gortat would be part of the deal. Would Tyrone Wallace and 2nd round picks be enough to get the deal done? Patrick Beverley is also a name that could interest the Knicks.
Eric Gordon – The Clippers have to get more scoring out of the starting SG spot. Houston needs defense badly. Gordon has picked it up recently but is still having an off year for Houston. He would still bring a lot more offense to the table than Avery Bradley. A trade of Bradley and Luc M’bah a Moute would actually work salary wise and make sense for both teams. Gordon has another year on his contract which could hurt the Clippers off-season plans. A return to the team that drafted him might be just what the doctor ordered for both Gordon and the Clippers. If they were somehow able to land Kanter and Gordon they should be able to hang around at the top part of the Western Conference standings.
Bradley Beal – This is the name we will probably hear most. While Beal would be a great fit, I’m torn as to whether he would be worth the price. One would think Gallinari would have to be in the trade for salary purposes alone. While Beal certainly has more trade value, is he actually a better player? PER would suggest not. If you acquire Beal and give up Gallinari have you really improved the team? Beal is probably the best player available but would almost be a move for the future if you had to give up Gallinari. Beal’s contract would also end any hopes of landing 2 max players in free agency. Robinson and a future 1st Round pick might be enough to get a deal done if Gallinari is involved. I’m not sure if Robinson a 1st Round pick, Bradley and expiring contracts is enough.
Dwight Howard – Here’s a name that probably won’t come up in trade rumors much. Baggage aside, he could really help the Clippers by giving them a lot of what DJ did the last decade. We’ve all heard the recent rumors. Even if they are true what better place for Howard to come out and face his demons than LA? Most likely, they will be swept under the rug and shouldn’t be an issue. The bigger issue is with his injury. Ironically, a butt injury. He should heal from that before the trade deadline. Would taking Howard off the Wizards hands lower the price for Beal? Probably not but if the Clippers can land Beal and Howard while keeping Gallinari, sign me up! There is a much easier trade for Howard alone that would send Milos Teodosic Washington’s way. I have to figure the Wizards would take almost nothing to get Howard’s contract off their books for next season. Milos would actually fill a need for them as well.
Nikola Vucevic – This would be a homerun for the Clippers. Nikola is having a career year. He would help the Clippers down low, on the boards and even stretches the floor as an excellent 3 point shooter. The price would likely be very steep. Vucevic is in the last year of his contract which might drive the price down some but would also mean you need to re-sign him to make a deal worth it. Nikola is going to get paid. Would the Clippers be willing to use of the 2 possible max slots on him? If not, they should probably look elsewhere as Vucevic would cost at least Robinson, Beverley, a 1st Round pick and Gortat which is way too much for a rental. Orlando would probably be looking for even more than that. They may also be the best team to pay him max money in the off-season. Vucevic is probably the best option but isn’t very realistic.
Khris Middleton – The Bucks just shed a lot of salary for next year but could decide Middleton isn’t worth the max extension he is likely to command in the off-season. Middleton is a possibility for the Clippers if they miss out on their top targets. They could decide a package of Gallinari and Robinson might be worth getting an early look and seeing if Middleton and Tobias Harris could be their two main pieces moving forward. If they could nab Vucevic as well it could be a formidable front line that fits their “no stars” mold. Gallinari could play PF for the Bucks and allow them to move Antetokounmpo back to his more natural SF position.
Iman Shumpert/Kosta Koufos – Shumpert would actually be an upgrade over Bradley this season. The Kings may still prefer Bradley since he has another year on his contract and they have a hard time attracting free agents. Bradley is still probably regarded as the better player despite his slow start. Koufos stock has fallen so far since the Cavs thought he was the missing link and gave up two 1st round picks for him. He probably wouldn’t be an upgrade over Gortat but could be a replacement if they trade Gortat elsewhere. If the Clippers become sellers this would also be a good place to send Gallinari with Shumpert and Koufos coming back as expiring contracts along with a draft pick.
Kenneth Faried – This would be for Gortat with the Clippers also getting a 2nd round pick. Brooklyn could use C depth if they are going to make a playoff run. This could be a trade whether the Clippers are buyers or sellers. Faried could be a included in a trade for Beal since Gortat obviously won’t be traded back there. Faried would have value for the Clippers as an insurance policy if Harrell goes down.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – You wouldn’t think the Lakers and Clippers would make a trade. They probably won’t. Phoenix is looking for a third team in a potential Ariza deal. Maybe the Clippers could be that team offering Bradley to the Suns. The remaining year on Bradley’s contract along with his ability to loosely play PG he might be attractive to Phoenix. If Caldwell-Pope could give the Clippers 13 points per game like he’s done the last four seasons it would be a big upgrade for them. He’s an expiring contract if not.
Kevin Durant/Kawhi Leonard – These will be the top 2 targets for the Clippers in the off-season. You wouldn’t think either will be traded during the season but I would imagine the Clippers are monitoring the situation just in case.
Despite the Clippers recent struggles, they are in great position as a franchise. If they get hot again, they could make the playoffs this year and add to an already talented roster. If they fall off, they can be sellers and accumulate future assets. In both scenario’s it’s likely they retain their cap space for next off-season. Either way they should have an emerging core of Tobias Harris, Lou Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Montrez Harrell. That’s why I didn’t include any of those players in any trade scenarios.
