Rumors: LA Clippers Trying to Trade Up in the NBA Draft

Just days before the NBA Draft, rumors are emerging that the LA Clippers may be looking to move up into the middle of the first round.

The NBA draft might end up being more exciting for fans of the LA Clippers! If rumors are to be believed, the front office is interested in acquiring a pick in the first round.

Today we learned that several teams are exploring trading with the Dallas Mavericks for the 18th pick, and the Clippers may be in the lead there.

The Clippers may be dangling Lou Williams to try to get that 18th pick from the Mavericks. The question is, do they keep the 18th pick or are they trying to get assets?

To make the money work, the easiest trade is Delon Wright and the 18th for Lou Williams. On the surface that seems like the Mavericks are giving up a pretty good price for Lou, but it would get them off of Wright’s $9 Million in an offseason where they have designs on Giannis.

If that’s the trade, then the Clips have options. Delon and the 18th pick are potentially attractive parts of a bigger deal, if that’s the route the Clippers want to take.

Could this be a step toward trying to trade for Jrue Holiday? A mid-1st round pick could help tip the scales, if the Clippers feel like they’re already close to making the deal. You have to think that, if giving up Lou is the piece that ultimately gets us Jrue, you make that deal.

Alternatively, maybe the Clips aren’t looking to build trade assets. A big concern among fans of the team is that there’s not many assets to build for the future right now. And while somebody like Delon Wright isn’t the piece you build around for the next five years, he’s still a 28 year old point guard who can play defense.

At the 18th pick, according to the Ringer draft guide, there will likely be some 3 and D wings and some bigs available, any of which have more promise than whomever the team can get in the late second round.

Obviously, this is still just a rumor. The trade hasn’t happened yet. But if the rumors pan out, the Clippers have some options with their haul. Make sure to stay tuned here and on Twitter and Facebook as trade season begins!