In order to address their need for a playmaker, here are three trades the LA Clippers could make.
The LA Clippers have some changes to make this offseason. With the firing of Doc Rivers and hiring of Ty Lue, those changes are underway. Other issues plaguing the team include a need for both a bigger backup center and a playmaker.
The latter apparently is of bigger concern, given Kawhi Leonard is adamant that the team find someone to fill that role. There’s one issue. The free agency market isn’t exactly teeming with point guards or even potential playmakers. The biggest name available on the free agency market that would fill that role is Fred VanVleet but he will likely either re-sign with the Toronto Raptors or join another team for a big payday, something the Clippers cannot offer.
Outside of him, the options available as free agents include Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic, D.J. Augustin, Kris Dunn, Jeff Teague, and a few others. The first two are likely to re-sign with their current organizations after both made the Finals and the latter three don’t exactly move the needle. That leaves the team likely to turn towards the trade market to address the issue.
With not many trade assets, the Clippers aren’t going to blow anyone’s socks off with their offers. The team might not even find a starting point guard to take the role from Patrick Beverley, but instead, a backup who can play spot minutes providing playmaking. Honestly, most of these potential trades won’t wow fans. The Clips have to work with what they have. Still, in order to improve something probably has to be done.
With that all in mind, let’s look at three potential trades the LA Clippers should explore in order to address their playmaking need.
Rubio joins the LA Clippers
Ricky Rubio is a pretty ideal fit for this LA Clippers team. He isn’t a guy who will ever look to score first but is a good defender and great distributor. With Phoenix wanting the ball in Devin Booker’s hand more, they may look to move off of Rubio.
Rubio for his career averages 7.8 assists per game but the 29-year-old point guard had his second-highest assist average last season for the Suns with 8.8 per game. He also scored a second career-best 13.0 points per game. Defensively, he can get after players, nearly averaging two steals per game.
In all honesty, Rubio might be the perfect fit for this roster. He has decent size, can knock down shots when he needs to but most importantly is fine with deferring. With Kawhi, PG, and Lou Williams on the roster, the team doesn’t necessarily need another bucket getter.
The Suns getting Patrick Beverley gives them a tough-nosed player who can get up in opponents but will defer to Booker on offense. Booker can play more of a ball-handling role while Beverley spots up. The deal also still keeps the Suns competitive in the tough Western Conference, something we saw they are capable of in the bubble in Orlando. The Suns also get Rodney McGruder, a solid bench piece who can play in their fast-paced system.
Beverley drew interest from Phoenix the last time he was a free agent, making this one a little more interesting for the Suns. If they don’t want McGruder in order to save some money, Beverley for Rubio works straight up.
The LA Clippers fill two needs
File this under “unlikely to happen”.
This deal hinges on a lot of “what-ifs”. What if Myles Turner really wants out of Indiana? What if Montrezl Harrell wants to go play in Indiana? What if Trezz and Landry Shamet is the best deal the Pacers can get for Turner?
All three of those things would probably have to be true in order for this deal to even happen. But just imagine if it did. Sure, losing Shamet hurts but they get two solid bench pieces who can immediately help the team.
The Clippers would fill two of their needs by getting a center and a playmaker from the Pacers. If Myles Turner is cool taking a bench role, the Clips would have an extremely dangerous center rotation. I know this piece is centered around getting a playmaker on the roster but if you can fill two holes in one deal, it’s pretty great, right?
Turner is the big get in this deal. He is a great shot blocker, can score well at all levels, and is a decent rebounder. Pairing him off the bench with JaMychal Green and Lou Williams would keep the second unit extremely deadly and when slotted in next to Kawhi and PG, he could still be effective and would give the team another solid defender.
As for the playmaker in this deal, T.J. McConnel averaged 5.0 assists this past season, more than Patrick Beverley. He is also a pure hustle guy, much like Beverley, which would mean opposing point guards would not have a second of rest between the two. He’s probably not a huge improvement over Reggie Jackson as a backup point guard but he seems to fit this roster a little better.
The Clippers might still have some playmaking concern but this trade moves the needle in the right direction enough for it to be worth exploring.
LA Clippers pull off a sign-and-trade
This is probably the “sexiest” trade on the list and it helps two contenders shore up their rosters a little more.
Sign-and-trades are hard to pull off in today’s NBA. With players who agree to them only getting four years maximum on their deals, there aren’t a lot of incentives to agree to one. If Montrezl Harrell and the Brooklyn Nets do have mutual interest, however, this is one of those situations.
The Nets are already over the cap limit and plan to re-sign Joe Harris. Bringing in Harrell isn’t feasible unless they can trade for him. Luckily for the Clippers, the Nets have something they want in Spencer Dinwiddie.
Dinwiddie is a big point guard, standing 6’5″. He scores the ball extremely well and has also shown the ability to playmake.
During the 2019-20 season, Dinwiddie put up 20.6 points on 41.5% shooting (30.8 3P%), 6.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks. Getting another player who averaged over 20 points per game in the starting lineup would be huge but the passing is really what would help.
His size allows him to switch onto bigger wings defensively which would work well alongside Kawhi and Paul George but he’s statistically a below-average defender. He won’t be a gaping hole though and would be covered by the prowess of Kawhi, PG, Marcus Morris (assuming he’s back), and Ivica Zubac.
For the Nets, this deal makes sense if, and only if, they are also able to move Jarrett Allen. Allen is a great young center but with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving teaming up in Brooklyn last season, the team’s timetable moved up. The duo also brought in DeAndre Jordan who will likely continue to play the starting center position, making Allen a tradable asset.
Trading for Trezz gives the Nets a Sixth Man of the Year scorer off the bench and someone whose playstyle differs greatly from Jordan.
Obviously, to make the money work, Trezz would have to agree to a deal in the $11 – $13 million dollar range. Given his poor playoffs, that might be right around where his market is so this deal, in theory, is doable. I’m not sure if Brooklyn is open to moving Dinwiddie but if they are, the Clippers should absolutely explore it.
What playmaker would you pursue? Let us know on Twitter and make sure to keep checking back here for all your LA Clippers news, rumors, opinions, and more!