Clippers Rumors: L.A. planning to trade up in 2016 NBA Draft

We don’t know where they want to end up, but it’s been reported that the Los Angeles Clippers are trying to trade up in the 2016 NBA Draft.

The Los Angeles Clippers hardly had a chance to make much of a difference to their team in the 2015 NBA Draft, only entering just before the night’s end as they bought the 57th pick from the New Orleans Pelicans to select Branden Dawson.

This year, however, they have the 25th and 33rd overall picks at their disposal, which is a range of the draft that can often be overlooked. Just because it’s well past the lottery, it doesn’t mean less obvious talent won’t be available. Remember Draymond Green as the 35th pick back in 2012?

It looks like 25 may not be quite enough for Doc Rivers and the Clippers, though.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders has reported that the Clippers are hoping to move up in the first round.

Until draft night, we can’t know who “their guy” is and exactly how much higher the Clippers will try to move up, should that actually be the case. Kyler reporting that they want players outside their current range, though, does indicate that they may want to advance into the top 20.

With the 25th pick in the first round, one name that springs to mind if they move up a few places is Taurean Prince. He’s one of the top small forwards in this draft class and is largely projected to go just inside the top 20, if not a few spots later. Already, the Clippers have shown their interest in Prince with a workout this week, so he looks like a possible guy they may move up to pursue if they don’t have to sacrifice too much.

More from Clipperholics

• Grade the trade: Clippers shockingly land Trae Young in wild proposal
• 3 of the most overpaid players on the LA Clippers’ roster
• Trading for this player covers the Clippers’ biggest weakness
• How will the LA Clippers fare in the in-season tournament?
• Why the LA Clippers should steer clear of recent gold medalist waiver

That being said, unless they’re convinced the man they want is going higher, they aren’t in a position where they can sacrifice pieces too freely. Either by shifting the very few picks they have or throwing in low-end bench players, perhaps someone like C.J. Wilcox or Dawson, shifting up by a few picks seems like the most inevitable scenario. Even then, they really can’t put together many attractive packages that will entice teams to trade.

However, whether the Clippers shift up a few spots or make a surprising push for the lottery (which would seriously ask a lot of the limited trade assets they have), it should please fans that the team are supposedly interested in doing so.

Next: Should the Clippers re-sign Austin Rivers?

With minimal cap space this summer and plenty of free agents hitting the market, not to mention a key player like Cole Aldrich earning a respectable pay rise, the Clippers need players who can contribute, and making the most of this draft could be the easiest way to do so.