The subtle genius of the LA Clippers’ trade deadline

The LA Clippers sent shock waves through the league during the 36 hours heading towards the trade deadline. By trading away their best player, the team just became even more exciting.

It’s clear that the moves the LA Clippers’ front office made are with the future big picture in mind, but there’s a lot to look forward to this season. The draft picks, new faces, and even players shipped out will provide Clipper Nation with plenty to watch and follow this year. The longer we look at the returns and results of the trades, the more layered and smart they look.

Let’s start with the pieces going out. Really, just Tobias Harris. Harris has been having a great season and playing at an All-Star level. It hurt fans to see him go, but the Clippers are in the hunt for a superstar, and Tobias seems best suited as a second or third option. He will be just that in Philadelphia, turning them into serious title contenders and raising their status in the Eastern Conference race to the Finals. Here’s the wrinkle; by strengthening the 76ers, it’ll limit the chances of the Raptors success in the postseason. Helping eliminate the Raptors can improve the odds of Kawhi Leonard wanting to leave and sign with the Clips.

The team is far from putting a period on the end of the Blake Griffin trade, but as it stands what  the Clippers have turned his contract into is incredible. After all the moves the Clippers have turned Blake Griffin into 3 very promising young players, 3 solid rotation vets, and 4 draft picks, including 2 first-rounders. To put that into perspective it’s basically what the Lakers offered New Orleans for Anthony Davis.

On the surface it’s easy to think that the team is punting the season and any hopes for a playoff run. If that is what the team is doing, there’s an added bonus to it. The team’s 2019 first-round pick is owned by the Celtics, but lottery protected. Missing out on the playoffs would mean not only keeping a first-round pick, but would rob Boston of an asset they could use in a possible Anthony Davis trade, improving LAC’s chances of landing the superstar should they want to.

But don’t count this team out of the postseason quite yet. With all new the returns the Clippers could still be in the playoff picture. Gallinari is back from injury, they retained their most energetic bench scorers in Harrell and Williams, and added more perimeter shooting and rebounding in their rotation. They are still the insanely deep rotation with no proven star that was in playoff seeding all year.

This season has seemed like a multi-faceted system to show free agents what the team has to offer. It started by showing success with schemes and team buy-in with a borderline All-Star at the helm. Then it became a clinic on how to handle a trade deadline and just how competent the front office is. Now seems like the chapter where team gets to show the promising young talent that can help extend the career of a superstar.

The rest of the season is going to be a lot of fun watching the young guys develop and the vets compete. This team has all the pieces to still jockey for a playoff position. The most exciting part of the Clippers now and going forward is watching one of the best front offices in the league operate and build something truly special whether it’s a team of superstars or young stars taken through the draft.