Would LA Clippers really trade Montrezl Harrell now?
With the LA Clippers having one of their best seasons on record, would they really trade Montrezl Harrell now?
The LA Clippers may be looking at the potential of trading super-sub Montrezl Harrell. This is in the middle of the year when they are most likely to contend for the NBA championship.
The Clippers are fielding the best team they ever have, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are MVP-candidate players. Last season they had the highest scoring bench duo in NBA history in Lou Williams and Harrell, who are repeating that effort this season.
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With Harrell’s production has come a fear he has played himself out of a price range the Clippers can afford when his contract expires at the end of this season. Off the bench, Harrell is averaging 19.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 blocks in 29.2 minutes per game.
This is incredible production for a bench player, particularly when you combine it with Williams’ 19.4 points per game. It is this bench depth which separates the Clippers from most opponents.
Harrell can dominate opposition second units. His combination and understanding with Williams is incredible. It is almost inconceivable that the organization is thinking of trading him.
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It is not that Harrell is a millstone contract, not producing on big money. He is a tough matchup for most teams and his 6’7″, 240-pound frame makes him hard to move when on offense.
If the Clippers do make Harrell available for trade, this will say a lot about the thinking of the front office. With the players they acquired in the offseason, they are primed to make a run at the title. If they trade Harrell because of the fear of losing him for nothing, they are taking a two-way bet on the season.
This is not the mentality of a championship-winning franchise. As the Toronto Raptors showed us last season, taking risks is crucial to getting yourself to the top of the pile. They traded DeMar DeRozan to get Leonard, who led them to the championship.
Mid-season they traded another long-time piece of club, Jonas Valanciunas, to the Memphis Grizzlies for Marc Gasol. Masai Ujiri went all-in and reaped the rewards.
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Likewise, the Los Angeles Lakers traded away a big part of their future to get Anthony Davis is an effort to win another title. This may not work, but it shows that the most successful Los Angeles franchise is willing to go all in to hang another championship banner in the rafters.
It would make more sense for the Clippers if they were open to trading Harrell to benefit the franchise this season. Their Achilles’ heel this season is defending opposition big men.
In the recent game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Steven Adams dined out with 20 points and 17 rebounds. While the Thunder probably won’t be in the mix at the business end of the season, there are plenty of dangerous big men that will be.
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The Clippers will need to address this, either with the current unit or via trade. If they trade Harrell, let us hope this is why they trade him and not out of fear of getting nothing back. This difference in thinking could define the LA Clippers’ championship potential for the foreseeable future.