Should the Los Angeles Clippers package their draft picks to move up?

The Los Angeles Clippers have two first round picks in the 2018 NBA Draft. The question is, would they be smart to package the picks to move up higher in the draft?

Currently the Los Angeles Clippers have the 12th and 13th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. In this draft, having those two picks is very valuable. By now I’m sure many of you have heard that this draft class has a lot of hype, which is warranted; the players in this class are extremely talented.

As of now, the Clippers’ upcoming free agents include DeAndre Jordan (player option), Avery Bradley (unrestricted), Wesley Johnson (player option), Austin Rivers (player option), Milos Teodosic (player option), Montrezl Harrell (restricted) and Tyrone Wallace (restricted).

Jordan is still one of the best centers in the game, even if he’s going to cost a lot of money. One question of concern is his age. At 29, he will still hold a lot of value for a few years, but would he be worth the $20-30 million per season he’ll get getting during that time? That depends on the pieces you put around him.

If you can get a bunch of young talent, having him on the books wouldn’t be an issue. Worst case, you trade Jordan and you can at least get something back in return instead of letting him walk for nothing.

Anyone else on that list wouldn’t a huge loss if they walk. It would be nice to see Harrell back with the team because he showed that he was a good piece to some of the Clippers’ success last season. He’s restricted, so as long as his asking price isn’t too high, Los Angeles should bring him back.

Bradley didn’t work out the way they would have liked after trading away franchise cornerstone Blake Griffin. Not retaining him wouldn’t be the end of the world. Teodosic will hopefully be back, but even if he leaves, he’s not necessarily a rebuilding centerpiece.

Johnson has been a bust in his NBA career. Getting drafted No.4 by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Johnson has never lived up to the hype that everyone would have liked. If he comes cheap, his depth would be a nice addition off the bench.

One thing is clear, the Clippers need youth and direction. After seeing Chris Paul, J.J. Reddick, Jamal Crawford and Griffin leave, it was ultimately an end of an era. It’s time for the Clippers to start looking into restarting the franchise again.

The case for keeping the picks

The case for the Clippers is pretty simple: Getting two players that are young, cheap and talented is a good way to start the next chapter. In most cases, having those two picks would be a good thing because there’s plenty of talent at that spot of the draft.

This year, having those two picks is like having two picks in the top-10 in any other draft. Granted, they’re just out of the top 10 as it is, but you get the idea.

Hypothetically, if the Clippers keep the picks and are able to retain Jordan, this is what a possible lineup could look like (no guarantees, just a dream scenario).

• PG – Collin Sexton
• SG – Lou Williams/Free agent/Avery Bradley (if re-signed)
• SF – Miles Bridges
• PF – Tobias Harris
• C – DeAndre Jordan

The shooting guard position is the biggest question mark going into next season if this hypothetical situation happens. The Clippers could try and slide Austin Rivers in at shooting guard or bring him in off the bench.

Patrick Beverley is a question mark going into next season because of his knee injury that sidelined him for majority of the season. At 29 years old and being an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season, it might be wise for the Clippers to find a real solution at point guard.

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Rivers is not the future guard of this franchise, but he would be great off the bench. It would allow him to be a scorer next to Williams next season. Those two would be a mismatch against many guards off the bench. Williams will more than likely come off the bench, but if the Clippers don’t have many options at shooting guard, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to slide him in – after all, he’s earned it.

If Sexton doesn’t make it that far down – which is quite possible; the Clippers could look at Lonnie Walker IV or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Sexton could be the point guard for the future of the franchise.

He’s able to score the ball and would be a great fit for this team moving forward. Getting Bridges means that you can slide him at small forward or power forward. He’s an athletic player that would be a very fun player to have on your team.

Both of these two could anchor the franchise for years to come and that starting lineup would be a contender to make a run at the playoffs.

The case for trading the picks

The Clippers could package those two picks and propel themselves into the top 10 of the draft. They could potentially grab the cornerstone player of the future at that point, depending on how far they’re able to trade up.

We have no idea as to how far they could move up in the draft, but more than likely the best they could do is outside of the top five. There’s a chance someone like Jaren Jackson Jr. would still be available.

That could leave the Clippers with a lineup that looks like this:

• PG – Austin Rivers/Patrick Beverley
• SG – Avery Bradley (if re-signed)
• SF – Tobias Harris
• PF – Jaren Jackson Jr.
• C – DeAndre Jordan

Danilo Gallinari didn’t play much last season because of injuries. Making over $20 million a season isn’t ideal. They could slide him in to start the season and wait and see what happens with Jackson’s development (the most likely scenario).

The above lineup was more of a picture as to what things would look like by the end of the season. They’d realistically want to find a guard, but at that spot in the draft it would be a reach to grab someone.

At that point you’d want to grab a big man because they’ve shown to be the most talented and or potential. Jackson has amazing potential and could become one of the best in the NBA at some point.

More than likely though, the Clippers wouldn’t be able to trade up far enough to get someone like Jackson, who is most likely a top-five selection. Their most likely targets would be the Chicago Bulls at No. 7, the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 8 or the New York Knicks at No. 9.

That might put them in the running for someone like Trae Young or maybe even Mohamed Bamba, for a potential center fit that would likely mean an end to the DeAndre Jordan era in LA. Jordan is a lot better than Gallinari and would be worth the extra $10 million, however.

There are so many hypotheticals with who will be drafted where or how far they could trade up, but unless they’re able to trade into the middle of the top 10 for someone they really like, they might be better off just keeping their two late lottery selections.

Final thoughts

The Clippers would be wise to not trade away their picks because they can get two solid players instead of one. Not only that, trading up means that they would run into depth issues. Unless they really like someone who’s available and can actually find someone willing to trade down in order to get that player, it might be better to add two rookies to the rebuild.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

It’s not like it’s a bad thing to have to much of a good thing, so ultimately, keeping the two picks would mean that they can fill the holes the currently have. Overall, keeping the picks makes the Los Angeles Clippers a more well-rounded team.