The LA Clippers sit at 21-9, good enough for third place in the Western Conference. This is despite a plethora of injuries that have plagued the team, especially as of late. When they are all healthy, the team is formidable and can take on anyone in the league.
Because of that, the LA Clippers don’t need to make any trades this season.
Let’s look at the facts. The Clippers don’t have a lot of tradable assets. The players with contracts that could potentially be moved include Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, and Ivica Zubac. All three of those players are playing key roles on this roster.
Looking at the market, is there anyone that necessarily moves the needle for this team? Sure, the team could add a point guard like, say, Lonzo Ball but for what they have to give up is that actually an improvement?
The same could be said for PJ Tucker. While a good player and someone that could add depth to the wing spot, the Clippers would have to lose valuable play at the guard or center spot. Again, is that actually an improvement?
Unless the completely unlikely event comes along where the Clippers can get some stud back in return for one of their players, there’s just no sense in giving up this consistency and depth in the trade market. Over the past few games, the team has proven that they have the depth to make a run but once everyone is healthy, they will need to ensure the on-court chemistry is in tip-top shape.
Does this mean they shouldn’t be active in the buyout market? Of course not, especially if there are talented players available. But that would just be adding to the team, not reconfiguring.
Of course, we have no idea what the LA Clippers’ front office is thinking. They are not known to leak anything so a trade could already be in the works for all we know. Still, after seeing what this team can do when healthy, perhaps they are on the same page as us and believe that this group, as constructed, is good enough to win an NBA championship.