It's going to be a tough offseason for the LA Clippers. It seems most people came away from watching their seven-game first round series with the Denver Nuggets thinking, "Where do they even go from here?" It's a worthy question, but while I can't tell you their perfect, magic bullet solution, I can tell you that deciding to trade Norman Powell would be just about the worst decision they could choose to make this summer.
Why? Because right now, we're seeing rumors that Powell could be packaged as part of a larger deal if the Clippers decide to move him. You know what that means. It would likely be a situation where LA tries to trade for a star-level player to pair alongside Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac. But we're all aware of the risks seeking that route would bring.
If you're trying to go all-in on acquiring a big name, not only is Powell going to be part of the discussion, but you're going to be throwing quite a bit else into that trade package in order to make it work. Essentially, the Clippers would be sacrificing depth and leaving themselves dangerously top-heavy.
We've seen this movie before in recent NBA history, and it's not one that typically works out for the team that's choosing to sacrifice their depth. Of course, the concept of trading Norman Powell sounds pretty reasonable on paper, but context matters.
Trading Powell would likely mean depleting the Clippers' depth
The Clippers are simply not in a place where they can afford to thin out their rotation. Leonard and Harden are both not without their fair share of injury troubles throughout their professional careers, and that has to be factored in when making these kinds of choices.
Additionally, LA's depth is basically what allowed them to defy the odds and expectations placed on them to finish as a top-five team in the Western Conference in the 2024-25 season. Powell in particular was a big part of making that happen.
Number 24 averaged a career-best 21.8 points on highly efficient shooting splits and did it all while stepping up into a starting role. Powell certainly backed up his bold claims of the Clippers losing Paul George being an "addition by subtraction" move. He stayed healthy for the majority of the season and was consistently dependable at both ends of the floor.
By tossing Powell into a big trade package and attempting to bring in another big-name player, LA would risk throwing away all that they built this past year since opening up Intuit Dome and beginning a new era of Clippers basketball. Depth is the name of the game in this league today, especially in the loaded West. By gambling on a top-heavy roster, the Clippers could easily find themselves fighting for a play-in berth next season if the injury factor doesn't swing in their favor.
Overall, the Clippers certainly have some options as to how they can upgrade this offseason. But trading the reliability and versatility of Norman Powell while gutting the bench just feels like the worst outcome possible. A blockbuster deal isn't needed for a shot at a championship in Los Angeles next season.