Grading every roster move the LA Clippers made at the deadline
The Philly Blockbuster
Very rarely are trades viewed as wins for both teams, but that’s exactly the case here.
Both Philadelphia and Los Angeles did exactly what they wanted to do with this deal. The Clippers acquired young pieces and draft picks, both of which are great for potential trades, and helped their situation this summer. Philly, on the other hand, landed another high-scoring option in Harris, as well as efficient bench pieces in Mike Scott and Boban Marjanovic.
Moving Harris allows the Clippers to focus solely on pairing Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant this summer. There are still more moves that need to happen by the start of free agency to ensure that LA will have a legitimate chance to do that, but the Harris deal kickstarted what would become one of the Clippers’ most successful trade deadlines in recent memory.
In the meantime, the Clippers returned some very solid pieces that could keep them afloat in the Western Conference playoff race.
Landry Shamet, a 21-year-old rookie, is already a fantastic deep-ball shooter and has the potential to be the NBA’s next J.J. Redick. He shot over 40 percent from three-point range this season with Philadelphia on an astounding 8.0 attempts per 36 minutes, and while it’s hard to determine his place in the depth chart right now, shooters always have a place in the league.
Wilson Chandler is a seasoned veteran that ultimately won’t make much of an impact in Los Angeles, but as a player with an expiring deal, he really does no harm to the team’s long-term plans. He averaged 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this season with the Sixers on 39 percent shooting from deep, so if anything, the Clippers will be able to add another three-point threat to the roster until his deal expires upon this season’s end.
It’s unclear at this point whether Chandler will start or not, but it certainly seems plausible. He’s out for the time being with a quad injury, so if he does start for the Clippers, it won’t be until after the All-Star break.
The Clippers also acquired Mike Muscala in the trade, who has since been dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers (more on that later).
It seems the final piece of the trade — the four draft picks — may end up being the most valuable assets acquired from the Sixers, though. Philly’s own 2020 first probably won’t be anything special, although a lot of notable players have been taken near the tail-end of the first round. The 2021 and 2023 second-round picks via Detroit shouldn’t be too far behind the Philly first in terms of range either, so long as they continue on their current path.
The real value comes from the 2021 unprotected first via Miami. Assuming they miss the playoffs that season, which is certainly a possible scenario, the Clippers will get a lottery pick to work with — that is, if they don’t package the pick before then in what would likely be a trade for a high-value player.
To get the kind of return the Clippers got for Harris is solid by itself. But to get what they did for a player on an expiring contract who will likely play fourth-fiddle to three other superstars? That’s more than impressive.