Will Clippers join the fray with their own big-name trade?
Yesterday at 06:53 PM
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue got up from his seat and walked away Sunday when asked about the recent movement in the NBA, that is, the Lakers-Dallas Mavericks trade. Later, Lue declined again to comment on the flurry of changes hitting the league.
Lue is reluctant to discuss how big-name stars and All-Stars have been traded, as teams remake their rosters at midseason. And now that players such as Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic and De'Aaron Fox are looking at new surroundings, could the Clippers do the same?
The Clippers traded P.J. Tucker and Mo Bamba, plus a future second-round draft pick and cash to Utah for Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills on Saturday, leaving the team $4 million below the luxury tax threshold and with potential flexibility heading into Thursday's NBA trade deadline or to add a possible buyout candidate.
The flexibility from dumping Tucker's $11.5 million contract should make depth moves viable as the team prepares for a postseason run.
But is Clippers owner Steve Ballmer willing to upend his balance sheet at this point? Is he willing to trade one of his three stars with an eye to the future?
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the answer is no, not currently.
Although the Clippers (28-21) have won six of their past 10 games, they can't seem to gain ground in a tightly packed Western Conference. They are currently in sixth place, two games out of fourth place but just 3½ games ahead of 11th place and missing the play-in tournament. They are one game behind the suddenly short-handed fifth-place Lakers (28-19), who visit the Intuit Dome on Tuesday night.
Doncic, who has been sidelined since Christmas because of a calf injury, is not expected to be in his new No. 77 Lakers jersey when the Clippers and Lakers meet for a second time in 16 days.
Still, if they can maintain their above .500 level of play and maintain their standing, they could head into the playoffs in April with a solid lineup and the potential to advance past the first round for the first time in four seasons.
All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard recently returned to the lineup after a lengthy absence because of a troublesome knee and is averaging 16.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 11 games as he increases his minutes. More importantly, the Clippers have won nine of those games with a healthy Leonard on the court.
"The Clippers appear to be setting themselves up to try to truly capitalize on owner Steve Ballmer's well-chronicled willingness to spend and the allure of their shiny new Intuit Dome home when Leonard's tenure concludes," Fischer wrote.
Leonard signed a three-year $153 million contract extension last season, making him practically immovable. James Harden and Norman Powell appear to be cemented in the Clippers' plans going forward, leaving players such as Amir Coffey, Terance Mann, Bones Hyland and Jordan Miller as possible trade pieces.
Mann and Amir Coffey are all entering the final year of their respective contracts, while second-year player Kobe Brown has a team option for both 2025-26 and 2026-27. Hyland will be a restricted free agent after the 2024-25 season.
The Clippers could wait out the trade deadline and seek additional help via free agency in the summer. For now, they will rely on Harden running the show and Leonard, Powell, Ivica Zubac and a solid bench to get them through the season. Or not.
LAKERS AT CLIPPERS
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Intuit Dome
TV/radio: TNT, truTV, 570 AM, 710 AM
