With the trade deadline closing in, the LA Clippers had less than an hour to complete a deal. They still needed a scoring threat off the bench and could use help behind starting big man Ivica Zubac despite recently trading for Drew Eubanks.
In fact, neither Eubanks nor newly added guard Patty Mills played serious minutes in the Clippers’ loss against the Lakers. This is a factor to keep in mind as executive Lawrence Frank concludes the 2025 deadline.
Furthermore, the Clippers understood their assignment and negotiated a trade with the Atlanta Hawks that brought in draft picks and a proven veteran off the bench.
Shams Chrania, an NBA insider for ESPN, just revealed the Clippers have received Bogdan Bogdanovic and three second-round picks from the Hawks for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland.
The Los Angeles Clippers are trading Terance Mann and Bones Hyland to the Atlanta Hawks for Bogdan Bogdanovic and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/jffPjDYiVm
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
This was a phenomenal deal, as Frank was also able to open up another roster spot for a potential buyout.
Bogdan Bogdanović can use the LA Clippers as a fresh start to return to his scoring ways off the bench.
Though Bogdan Bogdanović has had a rough time finding his old self this season, the LA Clippers’ front office did not overlook the type of player he was in 2023-24. Bogdanović was efficiently scoring and flaming defenses through each of his 79 games played.
Moreover, last season, the Serbian sharpshooter averaged 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, shooting 42.8% from the field and 37.4% from three. These numbers had him among the best sixth men in the league.
On the Clippers, he takes over the playing time of Kevin Porter Jr., who averaged nearly 20 minutes per game. In his role, Tyronn Lue will expect Bogdanović to score, similarly to the ways of star Norman Powell, and impact the game positively once James Harden and Kawhi Leonard are trapped.
Additionally, the Clippers landed three second-round picks. The front office can either retain these and scout their next young talent, or insert them in an offseason trade.
Regarding what LA gave up, Bones Hyland and Terance Mann did not have much of a role this season in Lue’s game plan. Hyland had fallen out of the rotation, and Mann saw the court much less than he was used to, especially since he returned from injury.
Hats off to Lawrence Frank for giving Lue bench help, adding draft compensation, and trading two players whose productions were little to none.