The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly hoping to enter the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft by trading Thaddeus Young. Could the Los Angeles Clippers be interested?
This report hasn’t been tied to the Los Angeles Clippers. However, as the Brooklyn Nets hope to enter the 2016 NBA Draft due to currently having no draft picks of their own to brighten their future, they’re reportedly expected to land a first round pick. They can only climb so high with the assets they have to offer if they want to maintain some of their talent, though, which makes entering the mix somewhere in the twenties a fairly likely scenario.
With the Clippers currently owning the 25th pick, they could be in the Nets’ range. At the very least, they may be someone on the Nets’ radar.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical hasn’t detailed any names, but has reported that several teams in the Western Conference are looking to acquire power forward Thaddeus Young.
Sources: Several Western teams aggressive on Thad Young, whom Brooklyn's working to move to highest bidder. This gets Nets into first-round.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2016
Could the Clippers be in the mix of teams that Woj mentioned? It can’t be ruled out entirely, but it seems unlikely.
They could benefit from adding some frontcourt depth, especially with the possibility of losing Cole Aldrich in free agency, and Young is an impressive defender coming off one of the best years of his career with 15.1 points, nine rebounds (a career-high) and 1.5 steals per game.
As someone who could help immediately as a versatile defender, particularly in smaller lineups, it wouldn’t be unthinkable that Doc Rivers would use draft picks to bring in proven talent instead of a rookie.
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There are multiple reasons as to why it’s unlikely the Clippers will be the team to help the Nets enter the first round, though.
First off, Young is 6’8″ and isn’t going to be an option to spend time at center. A combo big man would be best for the Clippers to create more lineup options as they don’t have enough cap to make many signings, and Young has spent only two percent of his career minutes at the five.
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Primarily, though, Woj’s report that the Nets will be looking to move Young to the highest bidder could quickly remove the Clippers from the conversation. Brooklyn may well want to move up higher than the 25th pick, and with murmurs that a team like the Charlotte Hornets are shopping their 22nd pick along with a player to clear cap space, they may be a more favorable trade target.
Finally, with a recent report from this Thursday morning that the Clippers are shopping their 25th and 33rd overall picks in an attempt to move up into the teens, it seems as though Doc is still looking to trade up, not lose his picks altogether.
Two draft picks is a lot to give up for a player that’s an awkward fit as well, not to mention the fact that it will be very difficult to accommodate for his $12.1 million salary for 2016-17, no matter who the Clippers include in a hypothetical trade.
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Young can help plenty of teams, but it looks like he won’t be joining the Clippers on draft night.