The Los Angeles Clippers have been very active this offseason. The traded for Norman Powell for John Collins, added Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, and Brook Lopez on the open market, and re-signed James Harden.
The Clippers are set to be one of the league’s oldest teams when the season starts. The average age on the roster is almost 31 years old. While most of their core players have shown no signs of slowing down, it is still risky to go all-in on a team full of 30-somethings.
LA acquired Paul to stabilize their second unit, but they are still in need of shot creation in their second unit. They do have Bogdan Bogdanovic, but he is coming off the worst season of his career. The Clippers need more scoring in their second unit, and the Celtics could provide them with the perfect trade target.
The Clippers must take a flyer on Anfernee Simons
Simons was traded to Boston earlier this offseason for Jrue Holiday after a seven-year run in Portland. Boston is reportedly open to flipping Simons on the open market, which makes sense given the Celtics’ crowded backcourt. Boston also wants to give Payton Pritchard all he can handle this season, and Simons could take some touches away.
Simons has significantly developed as a scorer over the last four seasons after a rough start to his career. He is coming off a season where he averaged 19 points per game on 43 percent shooting and 36 percent from three-point range.
Simons was overall pretty efficient as a shooter, as he shot 47% from mid-range and 37% on above-the-break threes, both above league average. He would add real value off the bench as a score-first guard, and is more consistent than Bogdanovic.
The Clippers’ playoff offense often stalled out against Denver because they did not have enough shot creators or general scoring punch. Adding Beal and Collins should help that with the starting lineup, but having Simons off the bench as well as an option would be beneficial.
Simons fits in perfectly with this team, and comes with little risk
Simons also offers off-ball value, which is key with Harden running the show most of the time offensively. Simons shot 38 percent on catch-and-shoot threes this past season, and also shot at a 39 percent clip on open to wide-open threes. He will have more of these looks playing in LA’s offense, as playmaking duties will likely fall to Harden and Paul.
Simons is on a $27 million expiring contract, so he comes with little risk. The Clippers would maintain their financial flexibility for the 2026 and 2027 offseasons. They also have a few second-round picks, and pick swaps that they can send to Boston to sweeten the deal.
You can never have too many ball-handlers in the NBA, and with the Clippers having an older guard rotation, Simons gives them a much-needed infusion of youth and athleticism. He can have a heavier workload in the regular season to preserve the older guys for the playoffs.
This is a move that will make LA deeper. With the Western Conference set to be a bloodbath this coming season, the Clippers need to consider adding Simons to aid their championship pursuit.