The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off a last-minute trade, dealing Lance Stephenson for Jeff Green. This move makes Los Angeles a legitimate NBA championship contender.
The Los Angeles Clippers have been on the brink of contending for a championship for far too long. Chris Paul pulled the organization out of the gutter and took it to heights that it’d never reached before, but even with the development of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan as All-NBA players, Los Angeles has yet to escape the second round.
Mere moments before the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline could come to pass, the Clippers made a very significant move.
Lance Stephenson has been mentioned in trade rumors since the very beginning of the 2015-16 NBA regular season. While most expected Los Angeles to move him in something of a salary dump, Doc Rivers had different plans for the future of the organization.
Dan Woike of The Orange County Register was the first to report Stephenson’s departure.
Source: Lance Stephenson has been traded to Memphis
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 18, 2016
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Clippers included a first-round draft pick in what was sent to the Memphis Grizzlies. In exchange, Los Angeles will receive forward Jeff Green.
ESPN sources say Clippers and Grizzlies managed to get trade in before 3 PM: Lance Stephenson and a future first-round pick for Jeff Green
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 18, 2016
Green, who played under Rivers and alongside Paul Pierce as a member of the Boston Celtics, will fit right into Los Angeles’ rotation.
For those concerned about the loss of a first-round draft pick, think of it like this: Chris Paul is turning 31 in May. If you were Los Angeles, would you better improve your odds of winning a championship with Paul by drafting someone in the 24-30 range or by adding an immediate contributor in Jeff Green?
With the window of opportunity seemingly closing in Los Angeles, it’s now or never.
Green’s familiarity with Pierce and Rivers is the opening to a healthy relationship in Los Angeles. The fact that he can spend time at both small and power forward provides the Clippers with something they’ve rarely, if ever, had beyond Blake Griffin at the 4: depth.
Coupled with the all-time facilitating ability of CP3, the Clippers have landed the perfect player to aid their pursuit of a championship.
The Chris Paul Factor
Say what you will about Paul’s shortcomings in the postseason, but if there’s one thing that’s undeniable, it’s that he makes the players around him better. Paul puts his teammates in a position to succeed, capitalizing on God-given court vision that few have ever been able to match.
He’s a masterful pick-and-roll facilitator who knows every one of his teammates’ strengths and weaknesses.
Green has played with a player of Paul’s magnitude in the past: Rajon Rondo. Injuries disrupted their chemistry, but when Rondo was active, Green was a better player because of it—something promising for Los Angeles.
In 2014-15, Green shot 47.8 percent from the field with Rondo on the court and 41.4 percent when he wasn’t, per Basketball-Reference.com.
If Paul can tap into that same potential, the Clippers will have landed one of the more dynamic forwards in the NBA. Green is a jack of all trades, although a master of none, who can operate in isolation, but is at his best when his teammates point him in the right direction.
Paul can do that as well as any player in the Association.
Beyond what Paul can do for Green is what Green can do for Paul. When Griffin can’t get his shot to fall, it’s CP3 who’s tasked with shoulder the scoring load while simultaneously defending the opposing point guard and attempting to facilitate the offense.
A gifted passer and a skilled scorer who’s more than capable of the occasional outburst, Green could be Paul’s basketball Godsend.
Manageable Offensive Role
If Jeff Green is tasked with being the star of the show, he’s going to underwhelm. The athleticism and skill exist, but he’s proven to be more of a complementary piece with the ability to take over on rare occasions than a nightly offensive centerpiece.
The good news for Green and the Clippers: he doesn’t need to do anything more than stabilize the forward spots.
Green will be welcomed into the rotation with a bigger role than he’ll be playing in the long-term. Blake Griffin’s injury will likely require Green to play a high volume of minutes at the 4 while maintaining a critical role as a scorer.
With Griffin back in the rotation, he can progressively slip into the role of a complementary asset who’s utilized more for his versatility than his scoring ability, in specific.
Griffin and Paul are both capable of posting 20-plus points on a nightly basis. Jamal Crawford, DeAndre Jordan, and J.J. Redick are all averaging at least 12.1 points per game in 2015-16, and the likes of Wesley Johnson, Paul Pierce, and Austin Rivers can all pour in points when their number is called.
With eight very capable alternatives, Green will be under his least amount of pressure to score since entered the NBA in 2007. In turn, his efficiency should improve and his general comfort level within the Clippers’ offense should be high.
If this all plays out according to plan, Green will thoroughly address the Clippers’ last crippling weakness.
Finally a Complete Team
The Los Angeles Clippers have an elite pick-and-roll attack between Chris Paul and either Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan. They have two of the game’s best midrange jump shooters in Griffin—no, really—and Paul, a consistent post scorer in, again, Griffin, and a productive and efficient 3-point shooter in J.J. Redick.
As a team, Los Angeles ranks No. 6 in the NBA in win percentage. It’s No. 7 in point differential, No. 5 in offensive efficiency, and No. 7 in points allowed per 100 possessions.
By all means and measures, Los Angeles was on the brink of being elite.
Both structurally and statistically, the Clippers had everything but three critical pieces before this trade: an athletic wing, a reliable backup power forward, and a consistent scoring threat from the 3-spot.
In some strange stroke of fate, Green fills all three roles to perfection. He’s spent extensive time at the 4, is an explosive athlete who can outmuscle small forwards, and has averaged at least 10.5 points per game in every one of his seven completed NBA seasons.
Since his rookie year, his scoring average has never once dipped below his current mark of 12.2 points per contest.
Green isn’t a star, but he’s one of the rare hybrid forwards who can do a bit of everything for his team—and that includes defending multiple positions and facilitating in a pinch. He’s not exactly Draymond Green, but due to his positional versatility, he can play a similar offensive role in Los Angeles.
By alleviating pressure from Paul and a role that actually fits his versatile skill set, Green is the type of player who can elevate the Clippers to genuine championship contention.