Of course, the Los Angeles Clippers aren’t trading Blake Griffin, but they have been talking to teams around the NBA about possible deals before the February 18 deadline.
The week of the 2016 NBA trade deadline is almost upon us, so it’s hardly surprising that rumors and trade machine experiments are heating up. Nothing is known and the predictions emerging are still based on far more speculation than fact, but it’s at least worth noting what potential deals, buyers, and sellers are emerging. And the Los Angeles Clippers haven’t gone unmentioned.
The story of the Denver Nuggets calling the Clippers to ask about a trade for Blake Griffin (what a surprise that got nowhere) quickly disappeared, although the Orland Magic have appeared as another team who have tried to make a major trade happen with L.A. Assuming they aren’t being even more ridiculous by pursuing a trade for Chris Paul, it’s relatively safe to assume that, yet again, they were also going after Blake.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders has just reported further on this, pointing out that even though trade calls for Griffin got nowhere (they were never going to anyway), the Clippers are still accepting calls to possibly tweak the roster:
"The Magic were one of several teams to try and engage with the Los Angeles Clippers on a Blake Griffin deal. Sources close to the situation say the conversation didn’t get incredibly far, but there was a serious conversation believed to be centered around three Magic players heading to L.A. – with Tobias Harris being the big salary in the deal.Clippers sources maintain that trading Griffin is not under serious consideration, although the Clippers are talking with teams about deals around the deadline and are continuing to field calls in an attempt to shore up the roster for what they believe is a serious run in the second half of the season."
This isn’t just ridiculous murmurs of the Nuggets or Magic trying to pull off unrealistic trades for Griffin. This suggests an actual possibility that another realistic deal may occur. Who these teams or what the nature of these calls are is obviously uncertain, though.
They could simply be exploratory calls with other teams so both parties can see who’s available and what different asking prices are like. On the other hand, they could be calls of a more serious nature, with the Clippers gauging their chances of addressing a couple of weaknesses.
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For instance, their point guard spot is noticeably weaker now that Austin Rivers could be out for 4-6 weeks with a broken left hand. This adds even more pressure to the already burdened shoulders of Paul as he has to solely lead the team without Griffin, while Pablo Prigioni can only do so much at 38 years old off the bench.
The real problem past the next month or so, though, is the frontcourt. With Josh Smith back in Houston (not that he ever played anyway) and Griffin still injured with his broken hand, the Clippers’ are seriously lacking when it comes to big men. The only legitimate big they have behind DeAndre Jordan right now is Cole Aldrich, and while he’s surpassed expectations a lot of times this season, he won’t take the second unit to championship contention level.
Next: Clippers' NBA Trade Deadline Targets
A new backup power forward or combo big would be a perfect addition, and if you want to see some of my suggestions you can click here to look at a few players they should pursue.
Hopefully for the sake of the Clippers, this is what Doc Rivers has in mind. With the team taking some calls at least, we may see a trade take place, no matter how minor.