The Clippers have a home game against the Cavs that could be extremely awkward, as the two teams just made a massive trade by swapping James Harden for Darius Garland.
Game Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:30 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Cavs: Donovan Mitchell – Sam Merrill – Jaylon Tyson – Dean Wade – Jarrett Allen
Clippers: Kris Dunn – Kobe Sanders – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Cavs: James Harden Questionable (Trade), Evan Mobley Doubtful (Calf), Dennis Schroder Questionable (Trade), Keon Ellis Questionable (Trade), Max Strus Out (Foot)
Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe) Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)
The Big Picture
Clippers fans were rocked Monday night by the sudden news drop that the Clips were exploring a trade with the Cavaliers to swap James Harden and Darius Garland as starting point guards. The news seemed to come out of nowhere, with the Clippers playing well and Harden fitting in snugly as the lead orchestrator and number two guy behind Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers went on to lose to the Sixers in a game that was not as close as the final score indicates. In a vacuum, the loss wasn’t a bad one: it was the second night of a back-to-back for the Clippers, and the Sixers are really good. But now, the team coming out so flat makes sense, as it’s been reported the Clippers got a whiff of the Harden trade possibility before the game started and it leaked to the media. With the trade consummated, who knows what will happen in this one.
The Antagonist
The Cavs are the team on the other side of the Harden deal, but they are coming at it from a very different perspective. After a rocky first half of the season, the Cavs have surged as of late (with Garland missing the past few weeks), and are getting an All-NBA First Team type season from superstar Donovan Mitchell. Thus, it makes sense for them to swap the injured Garland for the more durable (and frankly, better) Harden despite the latter’s age and playoff performance issues. It’s a win-now type of trade by the Cavs, who are doing everything they can to keep Mitchell happy so he signs a long-term extension with the team this summer. Maybe they think Harden will help them do that; or at least, give them a better chance of winning something this year. Outside of the Harden deal, the Cavs made another move over the weekend by trading De’Andre Hunter for Schroder and Ellis. I quite liked that deal for the Cavs, and the Clippers have to hope those guys are out tonight to make the Cavs as shorthanded as the Clippers are.
Notes
Kawhi All-Star: After all the hubbub around Kawhi Leonard not being named to the All-Star team a few days ago, it turns out the fuss was for nought, as the NBA announced Kawhi would be an All-Star after all to balance the rosters for the ridiculous new format the league is trying. Kawhi was an insane snub, so I’m glad he got recognized as an All-Star, but as for the game itself, I couldn’t care less and I’m sure most of you feel the same.
DJJ Back: Derrick Jones Jr. is back about a month after his last knee injury. DJJ is a key part of this team’s defense, and having him back in the lineup will be a huge help to a Clippers’ team that is going to be shorthanded on offense until Darius Garland is able to play. Hopefully DJJ looks good and is able to give the Clippers 20 solid minutes tonight.
No Bogi: Bogdan Bogdanovic was active the Clippers’ last two games, but did not enter either game despite the presence of garbage time in both contests. Max Christie played over Bogi in the rotation with Harden out, which to me is a pretty obvious sign that he’s going to get traded, or at least that the Clippers are shopping him heavily. The Clippers moving on from Bogi makes a ton of sense: he’s barely played this year, when he has he’s been bad, and the Clippers’ two most promising young guys play his position. Considering Bogi is on an expiring deal, the Clippers should be able to move him, the question is for what.