Buy or Sell for the LA Clippers: Lonzo Ball
The most recent and arguably most interesting potential trade target comes in the form of Lonzo Ball.
I’ll save you some reading if you want: I’m all in.
Ball has shown improvement each year he has been in the league but has looked particularly good in New Orleans. His shot has improved not just in terms of how it looks but percentage-wise as well. He’s shooting 38.5% from deep this season on nearly eight attempts per game.
That type of shooting would fit perfectly next to both Kawhi and Paul George.
"Lonzo shoots 42% on spot-up threes this year, and 40% on open threes in general. If Kawhi Leonard or Paul George set him up, we could be fairly comfortable with Lonzo hitting a three in the flow of the offense."
We all know he’s a capable distributor, something the Clippers need with their starting group. No, he’s not elite but given the team’s current situation, he would be an upgrade. He’s also a stout defender, capable of guarding both the guard positions with his 6’6″ frame.
Getting Ball on this team is a difficult situation, however. He is only making $11 million this season but given that he’s a former second-overall pick and a good, young player, I’m not quite sure the team has the assets to make a move.
When the Clippers’ interest in Ball was reported, Marc Stein did note that if the deal happened, the Clips would likely be looking to work with a third team to get it done. It’s impossible to speculate what all that would entail but there does seem to be some real interest.
Given his fit and the Clippers need to get a little younger, I’m in.