The LA Clippers have a problem, but it's the kind of problem championship teams dream about. Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders are playing so well that trading for additional help might actually hurt the team. Miller's shifty drives and improved three-point shooting have made him a legitimate rotation piece, while Sanders brings energy and defensive intensity off the bench.
Miller's crafty ball-handling is a sight to see, and though he is only in his third season, he is an expert at drawing fouls. But the truth is simpler: Miller is learning from Kawhi Leonard and James Harden on how to create contact, sell calls, and get to his spots. His low pickups and change-of-pace moves catch defenders reaching, resulting in legitimate fouls rather than flops.
Sanders, meanwhile, provides the spark plug energy this aging roster desperately needs. While he still needs to develop his handle, his defensive effort and willingness to do the dirty work have made him valuable.
That said, the Clippers should be leaning towards giving Miller and Sanders a chance in the playoffs rather than trading for veterans at the deadline.
The Derrick Jones Jr. dilemma is one the Clippers must operate around
When Derrick Jones Jr. returns from his extended injury absence, someone is losing minutes. The question is: who? Nicolas Batum seems like an obvious candidates for reduced playing time, but he has been important to the turnaround, and Brook Lopez has already seen his role diminish. That leaves Miller and Sanders, who may receive the short end of the stick, unless the LA Clippers make a bold choice.
Some fans have suggested including Jones Jr. in a trade package, combining his salary with Bogdan Bogdanovic's $16 million dead weight, to expand options for what they could acquire.
The more realistic scenario is that Miller and Sanders see reduced minutes when Jones Jr. returns, with both potentially falling out of the playoff rotation entirely if the Clippers make a trade deadline acquisition. That would be brutal given how well both have played, but it's the harsh reality of championship rotations when veteran players return from injury.
Time will tell what the Clippers' priorities are
This dilemma encapsulates the broader question facing Lawrence Frank and the front office: prioritize development or maximize the championship window? Miller (26) and Sanders (younger but less experienced) represent a future that could be in the next core when Kawhi Leonard and James Harden age out. Trading for veterans means sacrificing their development for a marginal upgrade now.
The ideal solution would be finding a trade that adds a backup point guard to ease Harden's minutes without sacrificing the youth's playing time. TyTy Washington Jr. has shown flashes, but expecting him to provide what a veteran facilitator would bring is wishful thinking.
The trade deadline will reveal what the Clippers true values are, when they have evidently seen promising flashes of a bright future. Either choice comes with risks, but having the dilemma of too many good players fighting for minutes, is infinitely better than the alternative they faced just six weeks ago, when every game felt like a pain to watch.