With the assets acquired in the Tobias Harris trade, do the LA Clippers now have a shot at trading for Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans?
It’s no secret what the LA Clippers are up to. The team traded away arguably their best player in Tobias Harris for assets from the Philadelphia 76ers early Wednesday morning. With these assets in hand, the team is set to make a big play in either free agency or the trade market. Enter Anthony Davis.
AD has been at the top of everyone’s list the past couple of weeks after he declared he did not want to play in New Orleans any longer. The Clippers were mentioned as part of his short list of teams he would re-sign with if dealt to, but only the Lakers seemed poised at the time to make a deal for him.
As of a couple days ago, the Clippers had not made an offer for Davis. New Orleans is reportedly seeking a treasure trove of picks and players, which the team did not have at the time. However, with the assets gained in the trade with Philly, do the Clippers have enough now? Let’s explore.
This trade has to at least spark the interest of New Orleans. In comparison to the Lakers offer, they aren’t getting as many young prospects, but it’s the picks that really matter. Yes, two of them likely fall outside of the lottery, but that 2021 unprotected pick from Miami is really what matters.
That pick is likely better than any pick the Lakers can offer and the other two first rounders are comparable to what they would offer to New Orleans.
The Pels also get young prospects in Robinson, Shamet and Thornwell while gaining pieces in Gallinari and Williams, who could be flipped to teams trying to win now for more assets.
This trade might not blow New Orleans out of the water, but it does get the Clips in the door. One adjustment that could be made would be swapping out Montrezl Harrell for Lou Williams to give the Pelicans yet another young piece.
One thing to note: The trade couldn’t be carried out exactly like it’s listed above due to a technicality. Landry Shamet cannot be traded as part of a package, so he and Tim Frazier would have to be dealt separately in order to circumvent this.
The Clippers can wait to make this offer in the summer, but with Boston lurking as another potential trade partner, maybe making this offer prior to today’s deadline would be in the team’s best interest.