Clippers should have good chance to trade for J.J. Hickson

The Los Angeles Clippers need to pursue a backup big man, and one player they should target (J.J. Hickson of the Denver Nuggets) is reportedly available for trade.

Besides Blake Griffin‘s injury sparking the narrative that it’s time for him to leave L.A. and murmurs that the Los Angeles Clippers have made him available, his absence has also highlighted just how little frontcourt depth the team has. Josh Smith earned himself some extra minutes while Griffin was injured (primarily when DeAndre Jordan missed two games due to illness as well), but now that he’s back with the Houston Rockets, Cole Aldrich is the only big man coming off the bench.

He simply isn’t enough if the team want to surpass their supposed inevitable fate of failing in the second round, which makes the need to target a backup big before the trade deadline even more important.

With the Clippers’ lack of expendable and valuable trade assets, though, they don’t have much to offer teams for a backup who can make much of a difference. Jamal Crawford holds value thanks to his ability to create instant offense for a second unit, but after him and Lance Stephenson (whose team option on his $9 million contract for 2016-17 helps) there aren’t many others who should be tradable.

Thankfully, the Denver Nuggets may be a team the Clippers can look to. And no, not as a trade partner to move Griffin. Instead, one of their backup big men, J.J. Hickson, is available for trade.

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe has reported that Hickson is on the trade block now:

"On the trade block is Denver power forward J.J. Hickson, who has fallen out of coach Mike Malone’s rotation and expects his expiring contract to be moved. Hickson once was considered an understudy to LeBron James in Cleveland, but the Cavaliers traded him to get Omri Casspi, and Hickson never emerged as a standout player. He’s still only 27 and has the ability to score and rebound, but defense and consistency are his issues."

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News has added to this, saying that the Nuggets may even move Kenneth Faried:

"The Denver Nuggets want to move at least one big man. Kenneth Faried and J.J. Hickson are both available."

If only the Clippers could add Faried, he’d be a perfect power forward to come off the bench as an athletic defensive energizer and strong rebounder. Unfortunately for L.A., though, adding him is a pipe dream. Hickson, on the other hand, is still very much a possibility, seeing as he has such little value to the Nuggets now.

Behind Faried, Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, Darrell Arthur and Joffrey Lauvergne, he just isn’t needed. With depth and younger talent, Doc Rivers should now have a better chance of landing someone like Hickson with the limited pieces he has to offer.

In fact, when looking at players the Clippers should pursue before the deadline, Hickson was someone I discussed. The fact that he’s now available and has played a total of just one minute and 56 seconds since January 8 only makes him easier to target. Here’s a brief look at what he has to offer (you can read in full here):

"[The Clippers] Ranking 24th in rebounds per game right now is far from good enough. Against teams like the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder who reside at the top of the NBA in this category, the Clippers will get totally outmatched in the playoffs.Hickson can help in this area, as he’s always been a physical presence on the boards, despite his moderate 6’9″ frame. This season, he’s averaging 10.3 rebounds per 36 minutes, and his limited role doesn’t indicate his production too well, even when converted to this time frame. Last season, he averaged 11.5 per 36 minutes and the previous two seasons he averaged at least 12.2. With minutes at power forward, he’ll have far more impact on the glass than guys like Pierce have when used in small lineups."

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While Hickson doesn’t have much range on offense and isn’t always consistent defensively, he’s still a major interior upgrade over someone like Paul Pierce at the four. Besides, for rebounding alone, an area where the Clippers have been poor this season, Hickson can make a real positive impact off the bench in a limited role.

The problem of L.A.’s lack of pieces to offer won’t go away, though. Even if the Nuggets are keen to send Hickson on his way, it would be a shame to see the Clippers part with Stephenson when he’s started playing better lately with more minutes. Equally, Crawford is far too valuable in comparison to Hickson.

This leaves guys like C.J. Wilcox and Branden Dawson as the only remaining candidates, but trading the latter wouldn’t help the Nuggets’ crowded frontcourt situation.

Next: Blake Griffin is reportedly available for trade

Ultimately, this just comes down to what Doc can make happen on the phone. As Hickson remains available and the Nuggets surely can’t value him that highly, this could be the Clippers’ best shot to land a solid backup.

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