It appears the Clippers have built their roster for the upcoming NBA season, but that won’t stop them from making moves.
With nearly 20 players on the active roster, it appeared as if the Clippers were done making moves. Well, we all thought wrong. On Monday, LA made a trade with the Dallas Mavericks. Now, it’s not a trade that is going to help them win a championship of any sorts, but it’s a very nice under the radar move.
Per the LA Times’ Brad Turner, the Clippers sent their draft rights to Maarty Leunen and cash considerations to the Mavericks in exchange for Johnathan Motley and the rights to Reinaldus Seibutus.
Motley is a 6’9″ power forward from Baylor. He went undrafted, but that didn’t stop him from reaching the NBA. In 2017-2018, Motley appeared in 11 games with the Dallas Mavericks. During his quick stint, he showed flashes of being a solid backup big in the league. In 16 minutes a game, the 22-year-old averaged nine points and 4.5 rebounds. He shot 53 percent from the field, as well as from the free-throw line.
There’s no question Motley can play, but this does bring up an interesting conversation. Barring injuries, Motley is expected to be playing majority of the season in Ontario with the Agua Caliente Clippers. He’ll be on a two-way contract. After the draft, the Clippers signed another big man, Angel Delgado, to a two-way contract as well.
Ok, I'm a little mixed up here. Clips have a two-way QO extended to Tyrone Wallace, a two-way contract to Angel Delgado, and now have acquired Johnathan Motley's two-way contract.
— Lucas (@LucasJHann) July 24, 2018
They shouldn't be able to have more than two at any given time.
Analysis
While the Clippers haven’t made an official announcement on Tyrone Wallace yet, it looks as if he’s all but gone now. With all the guards currently on the roster, it seemed as if it was a long-shot he’d be brought back. As mentioned earlier, this signing is very under-the-radar. Motley probably won’t see many minutes as a Clipper, but this is a guy that looks to have the potential.
Hopefully he spends the season developing his game more in the G-League, and eventually he can become a viable piece on this already deep Clippers roster.