The Clippers have been linked most heavily to veteran point guards, but have also been connected with upgrading their backup big men via trade. Here’s a quick look at some guys they might trade for, spanning larger deals, mid-sized moves, and small trades or signings after buyouts.
Major Trades
John Collins – The Hawks have apparently lowered their asking price for a Collins trade of late, but have also made it clear they’re less in a hurry to trade him. Collins is having a down year, but it almost exactly what the Clippers need – size, athleticism, some shooting, and significant scoring capabilities. Collins can play at the four next to Zu, but can also offer legitimate size and rebounding as a small-ball five. It doesn’t seem like the Clippers want their “splash” to be for a big, so I doubt they trade for Collins. Luke Kennard, Robert Covington, and picks would give the Hawks shooting, defense, and future salary relief, but that probably won’t be enough – and the Clippers seemingly won’t want to trade more.
Jakob Poeltl – Poeltl is a very good player, but is a little too duplicative with Ivica Zubac for my liking (and probably the Clippers’) as a defense-first big man. The Spurs are also in no rush to trade him, and are asking for a 1st round pick, which the Clippers won’t move for him. Luke Kennard, one of the young guys, and seconds might be enough to get in the convo, but I highly suspect other teams would easily beat that offer for Poeltl. Feels unlikely.
Christian Wood – The Mavs trading for Kyrie Irving has unbalanced their team in favor of offense instead of defense more than it already was. Their best way to turn that around would be to flip Christian Wood, a dynamite offensive player but a sieve defensively, for some help on the perimeter. The Clippers could offer Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, and second round picks, and would add a dynamic offensive player who can operate both as creator and finisher. I’d be iffy on it from the Clippers perspective – while Wood’s shooting enables him to play both the 4 and 5, his defense is awful at all positions, and he’s completely unproven as a playoff player. Depending on the assets it could be a helpful trade, but I think the Clippers would wat someone a bit better on defense.
Medium Sized Deals
Kelly Olynyk – Maybe the most popular trade target for months on Clippers’ twitter has been Olynyk. He’s a proven, playoff-hardened veteran who offers legit size (6’11), solid defense, and enough outside shooting to play alongside of Ivica Zubac as well as serve the lone big man. Considering the Jazz would be in teardown/rebuild mode, they’d probably be looking for younger pieces and picks. The Clippers won’t give up a 1st or Terance Mann for Olynyk, but any other of their younger players to match Olynyk’s $12.4M in salary. Luke Kennard straight up is a possibility, especially if the Jazz also move Malik Beasley.
Mason Plumlee – Plumlee might be the most obvious trade candidate for the Clippers. The Hornets are selling all of their veterans for future assets, and they have a young center they want to give big minutes to. For the Clippers, Plumlee is a capable defensive big man who won’t require a large role, and can add some playmaking to the 2nd unit as well. Plumlee’s $9M deal fits into the trade exception (TPE) the Clippers got from trading Serge Ibaka last deadline, which means they wouldn’t even need to send salary back, necessarily – just picks. If they wanted to, or the Hornets wanted either, Reggie or Wall would work for Plumlee as well. It’s a good fit, and the price point probably won’t be high.
Naz Reid – Naz might be the best backup center in the NBA. The issue, from the Timberwolves’ perspective, is actually that he’s too good, and has priced himself out of their future plans considering they already have Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns on their roster. For the Clippers, Naz Reid making such a small salary ($1.9M) actually makes a trade for him more difficult. The only guys who would fit for him straight up are Amir Coffey, Brando Boston Jr, and Jason Preston. Any of those guys alone is not enough for Reid. Would Coffey, one of the young guys, and some seconds get the Clips there? Maybe. Ultimately, I think Reid goes elsewhere, but he’d be a great get.
Isaiah Hartenstein – We are all familiar with Hart’s game. He has been struggling for much of the year with the Knicks, but between Mitchell Robinsons’ injury, his own improved play, and the ups and downs of youngster Jericho Sims, I don’t think the Knicks trade him. If he is available, swapping Wall and a 2nd or two for him would be a great piece of business.
Add-Ons/Small Deals/Buyout Guys
Khem Birch – After playing an important role for last year’s strong Raptors team, Birch has lost his spot in Nick Nurse’s rotation this year. Although he’s undersized at 6’9, Birch is a strong defender and solid-enough rebounder. Like so many of these other players, he offers little offensively. The Clippers probably wouldn’t need to send much for him, as his salary fits in the trade exception.
Nerlens Noel – After being a key player for the surprisingly good 2021 Knicks team, Noel has barely played the last two seasons. Once one of the best defensive big men in the NBA, Noel has slipped on that end – and provides almost no value offensively. Still, he remains a good defender, and the Clippers could slide him into their TPE without sending salary to Detroit. The trade would require minimal assets, maybe a 2nd round pick.
Alex Len – Len has barely played for the Kings this year, and is clearly on the fringes of the NBA. He doesn’t offer much besides being a large 7 footer veteran who knows the nuances of NBA basketball, but eve that would put him above Moses Brown and Moussa Diabate. Fitting into the Clippers’ trade exception, the Clippers would presumably not have to give up anything except rights to a international player who isn’t coming over or a “fake” heavily protected 2nd round pick.
Andre Drummond – Just three years removed from a 17.7 point, 15.2 rebound per game 2020 campaign, Drummond is a low-minutes bench player for a middling Bulls team. His greatest strength remains his rebounding – he’d certainly help the Clippers’ second unit with that, and provide them with a lob threat. At $3.2M a year, Drummond makes too little for a swap with Wall, but adding in someone like Tony Bradley gets the deal done.
Mo Bamba – The fifth year former top 10 pick is actually having the best season of his career, but is getting squeezed out of the rotation because he Magic just have too many forwards and big men. Making $10.3M both this season and next, the Clippers could flip Reggie for him straight up. Bamba offers length defensively, solid three point shooting on decent volume, and upside for growth. There are some reliability issues, but on a talent basis Bamba would be a good swing.
Dewayne Dedmon – Making $4.9M per year, Dedmon is out of the rotation in Miami. A competent defensive big man who doesn’t offer a ton offensively, Dedmon would be a totally fine 12 min per game regular season center who can pick up extra minutes for Zu foul trouble as needed. Wall for Dedmon doesn’t quite work, but adding one of the Heat’s smaller contracts like Kyle Guy or Haywood Highsmith pushes the deal through.
