Miami Heat: A trade proposition for the Los Angeles Clippers
Clippers’ current outlook
The Los Angeles Clippers’ success so far has been quite surprising. Although L.A. wasn’t expected to make the playoffs, it currently owns the fifth seed in the Western Conference, boasting a 17-13 record. They’ve been led by Tobias Harris, but have also seen valuable contributions from Montrezl Harrell, Danilo Gallinari, Patrick Beverly and rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
However, they have weaknesses: shot-blocking (ranking 19th in the league in blocks per game), offensive rebounding (21st in in offensive rebounds per game), and opponent second chance points (24th in opponent second chance points per game). Weaknesses like these suggest the Clippers would benefit from a presence in the paint.
It’s very possible that Los Angeles’ success is limited to the regular season. Once the playoffs arrive, series are won by teams with superstars. While Harris could receive his first All-Star bid this season, he has played in the playoffs only once in his career — three seasons ago with the Detroit Pistons, who lost to the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in four games.
Several players on the Clippers have playoff experience, but none has experience carrying a team. A team’s lack of star power shows in the playoffs, when defense is more fierce and teams are playing for something. Los Angeles could benefit from looking to make a trade. One of the Clippers’ many pieces that has value and wouldn’t hurt their future to trade away is Gallo.
Gallinari, now 30 years old, is one of the league’s best sharpshooters right now. He averages 19.6 points per game and ranks 18th in 3-pointers made (69) and 10th in 3-point percentage (45.1 percent) in the whole league. He also averages 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
The Clippers have other players with more trade value, such as Harrell and Gilgeous-Alexander, but they are both very young and would likely be off limits. Moving Gallinari should allow them to receive a quality player or asset while preserving the team’s youth.