In a team headlined by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the LA Clippers still have a noticeable hole in their roster at the center. Here are four trades to fix that.
Basketball is a team sport. If a team has a hole in its roster, it will be exposed over the course of 82 games. The LA Clippers experienced this last season — their first without DeAndre Jordan since 2007-08. Without DJ to meet opponents at the rim, the Clippers struggled mightily challenging inside scorers. In fact, the Clippers allowed 51.1 points per game in the paint, the eighth worst in the NBA last season.
This was due to Jordan’s replacements. Marcin Gortat, Ivica Zubac, Boban Marjanovic, and Montrezl Harrell soaked up most of the team’s minutes at the five. Gortat was washed and Marjanovic wasn’t athletic enough to keep up with opposing teams. Zubac is young and inexperienced, while Harrell isn’t big enough to be a true rim-protector.
Things have changed… kind of. The Clippers signing Kawhi Leonard, trading for Paul George, and re-signing Patrick Beverley makes them the a defensive-powerhouse… on the perimeter. They will be able to clamp up opposing guards and use their wingspans to clog passing lanes, leading to steals. But, none of these guys play the kind of defense DeAndre Jordan used to. None of them would find too much success standing in the low-post.
If the front office likes the current roster and doesn’t wish to move any more assets, they could take a flier on a free agent. The only remaining free agent who is a defensive-minded center is Joakim Noah, who, in his half-season with the Memphis Grizzlies, played his only impactful basketball since 2014-15.
Noah is comparable to Draymond Green. He won’t record many points, but he can grab any rebound and create for his teammates, all while recording a few games with high steal and block counts.
The 2014 Defensive Player of the Year could be a solid addition to the Clippers as they prepare for a deep postseason run, but the team would be better off looking into trading for their paint-clogging big.
There is a small amount of teams with a player who fits the Clippers’ needs, and due to them prioritizing their core from last season, there aren’t many players that could be realistically moved. Regardless, here are four trades the LA Clippers could pursue to finally get a center.