NBA Trades: 5 targets for the Jazz to replace Joe Ingles

NBA Trades: 5 targets for the Jazz to replace Joe Ingles – Nicolas Batum

The LA Clippers did not anticipate the season they’re having, yet they’re still managing to stay competitive despite the turmoil. They’ve slipped from a Western Conference Finals berth down to the eighth seed.

Without Kawhi Leonard playing this season, and without Paul George leading the way for the past month, the Clippers have all the reason to reshuffle the deck and compete next year with their two superstars healthy, thus positioning themselves as heavy sellers if they decid to fold it in.

Nicolas Batum has completely revived himself in LA and has played a much bigger role this season with Leonard out. The 6-8 forward came onto the scene last year as a sweet-shooting floor spacer who could make hustle plays, starting half his games in the postseason as a two-way player and helping lift the Clippers to their first-ever Conference Finals.

This year, the 33-year-old has been pretty much locked into the opening and closing lineups, improving his efficiency and chemistry with the other starters on a team that recognizes his winning ways.

The Clippers are still without George due to an elbow injury, and the team is winning games by the edge of their teeth, unable to put any sort of winning streak together. It may be time for the Clippers to unpack their roster, particularly their aging veterans, so they can have more salary available this offseason.

Batum is a really good comparison to Ingles and he is also a winning player when asked to be a contributor. He’s an elite off-the-catch shooter and shows the ability to heat up with more looks. He’s a long-armed defender who can snatch the ball and he’s a crafty playmaker who makes smart passes.

The difference between Batum and Ingles is that Batum is more of a power forward these days, which would create a logjam next to Royce O’Neale and Rudy Gay. Ingles has recently filled in at shooting guard or small forward, standing tall near the top of the arc as opposed to on the wing.

This is what separates the two, since Batum (9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds, 41.9 percent from deep on 5.0 attempts) would need to step in for O’Neale or Gay.

Batum’s average annual salary of $3.25 million for the next two years is affordable as is, meaning Ingles wouldn’t have to be traded. But would likely result in a decrease in Ingles’ future role.

Whether the Jazz want to trade for Batum or not depends on how they feel about decreasing Rudy Gay’s role and giving more minutes to their reserve guards.