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Los Angeles Clippers: Analyzing the trade value of Lou Williams

By Cannon Wonderlich

OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Lou Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Clippers drives past Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on February 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Lou Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Clippers drives past Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on February 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – FEBRUARY 22: Lou Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Clippers drives past Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on February 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – FEBRUARY 22: Lou Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Clippers drives past Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on February 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Lou Williams signed an extension with the Los Angeles Clippers during the season, but is he really just trade bait for the franchise?

Lou Williams is coming off the best season of his career at 31 year old where he averaged 22.6 points and 5.3 assists per game with a true shooting percentage of 57. He is a lock to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, the third time that award has gone to a Clipper since the 2013-2014 season. While he may seem to be a vital part of any near-future playoff runs, could Lou Williams be traded?

In the summer of 2017, the Clippers made re-signing star power forward, Blake Griffin, their top priority. Their pitch to get him to stay with the team compared him to some of the most influential people of all time, such as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, and others. This won Griffin over and he subsequently signed a five year $171 million contract. Just 33 games into his contract, he was traded away, leading many to believe that LAC will do anything they feel necessary.

Lou Williams signed a three year $24 million extension on February 7, 2018, just four months ago. Knowing that there isn’t much commitment on the front office’s side, Lou realistically could be moved, but for what? The best return for Williams would be for a higher lottery pick. If a lottery team only wanted Williams in return for their pick, it should be a no-brainer trade for the Clippers. If a high lottery team wants Lou and one of our 12th or 13th picks, that works too. Lou could provide bench scoring for any team that wishes to push for the playoffs or he could put up meaningless numbers on a bad team as he has previously done for the Lakers.

The Clippers could, after all, keep Williams. He scored five more points per game than his previous career best and became the first player in NBA history to average more than 20 points per game for the first time after turning 30. He was the heartbeat of the team throughout the many injuries this season. If Williams is traded for an upcoming pick then Clipper fans will have another bright young piece, if he isn’t traded then we can watch him hoop off the bench every night.

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