Grade the Trade: Clippers add former All-Star point guard

The LA Clippers’ point guard situation should be a strength. They have a former All-NBA point guard in John Wall, still only 32 years old, and Reggie Jackson, a player who fits their system perfectly and has had some big playoff moments for the franchise. The combination should be elevating this team to greater heights.

Instead, the results have been less than exemplary. In a season when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are seemingly flipping a coin each night to see if they will suit up, the Clippers’ two point guards have failed to lead this team on or off the court, and it’s the reason the Clippers are looking for another option on the trade market.

The LA Clippers are likely to trade for a point guard before the Trade Deadline.

A title run by this Clippers team will rely primarily on the health of Leonard and George, but if they hit the postseason healthy and available then the Clippers need to have a team around them ready to go all the way. Therefore, any point guard this team trades for needs to be someone who can play and thrive in playoff basketball; this isn’t the time to buy low again on another castoff, as they did with Jackson or Nicolas Batum – that might work out, but it also might not (Serge Ibaka, Wall, etc).

Recently, the Clippers’ point guard search has been rumored to include the Utah Jazz, a team that has exceeded expectations this season but also is likely to be realistic about its future. They traded two of their former All-Star players this summer in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, leaving one still to be dealt: Mike Conley. He could be just what the Clippers need.

Can the Clippers put together a deal for Conley, and will it be enough for the Jazz to say yes?