The Los Angeles Clippers have had a surprisingly competitive start to the season despite losing Paul George in the summer and missing Kawhi Leonard for all 34 games so far this season. Their 19-15 record puts them in the middle of the playoff hunt, with the franchise well-placed to maintain their position with Kawhi, who is expected to return on Saturday.
The Brooklyn Nets have already made multiple moves this season, with the most recent one seeing them acquire D’Angelo Russell from the Los Angeles Lakers. While Russell has had an optimistic return to life as a Net, the team needs to be cautious of D’Lo’s offensive ability leading to more wins when they’re looking to tank.
Even if the story of Russell being back in Brooklyn is nice, it might be best for the franchise to trade him to a win-now destination that could use him. A return to LA might fit this perfectly.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: D’Angelo Russell
Brooklyn Nets Receive: P.J. Tucker, Bones Hyland, 2026 Second-Round Pick (LAC), 2030 Second-Round Pick (LAC)
This deal has the Clippers move off two assets that are of no use to them outside of expiring contracts. The Nets can easily absorb these contracts as they’ll be off the books in the summer, giving the franchise even more space to alter their roster. Similarly, the Clippers can take the flyer on Russell’s expiring contract and move off it with little harm done in the summer if this stint doesn’t work out.
Clippers Add An On-Ball Scorer
The Clippers’ success this season has been remarkable and is a testament to the greatness of Tyronn Lue and James Harden. Lue has put in place a stifling defensive roster which allows the team a lot of room on offense, as even subpar nights end up as wins. Harden’s load on the offense is immense especially as a creator, with only scoring guards around him.
Russell is averaging 12.6 points and 5.0 assists this season. While he isn’t an ace playmaker, he’d be a massive upgrade on everyone else in that role on the squad. Norman Powell’s scoring has been heralded this season, but Powell has been completely shut down in games where Harden isn’t available. The Clippers need Russell’s scoring ability as another option to free up Powell and the returning Kawhi.
D’Angelo seems like the perfect fit as a secondary playmaker and tertiary scorer who can also be a reliable option on the corner. His efficiency can be inconsistent, but the Clippers need him to add to skills that are essentially non-existent on their roster. With the outgoing players being of no value, this deal could help the Clippers add enough firepower to be a competitive top-six seed in the West.
The Nets Focus On Tanking
It’s great to see the Nets offer Russell an opportunity to rehabilitate his value in a contract year on the tanking franchise, but Russell, alongside other veterans like Cam Johnson, could still make the Nets competitive enough to be a Play-In team when they want to be as bad as possible. To make that happen, they need to move on from Russell for players who are essentially non-assets.
This deal is an expiring contract swap, with P.J. Tucker likely getting bought out by Brooklyn the second he gets traded. Bones Hyland is averaging 7.6 points in limited minutes this season, proving to be a one-note offensive guard who is too small to consistently rely on his skill set to be an impactful NBA scorer. There’s hope for Hyland as a 24-year-old prospect still, but he’ll likely not materialize as a long-term piece for Brooklyn.
This deal allows them to get worse while maintaining their contract flexibility and adding two more second-round picks. Considering Russell is part of the Dorian Finney-Smith package, the Nets essentially complete their total draft return to five second-round picks, which is great business on their part.
Clippers Show They Can Stay Competitive
The Clippers have stunned many with their level of feisty play this season. They have achieved this by making all their major free-agent signings defense-oriented, signing Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. They reinforced the offense with afterthought moves for Kevin Porter Jr. and others, but it’s time to add real offensive help instead of busts like Porter Jr.
Russell has been criticized a lot but he was a 42% three-point shooter last season on a team with poor spacing, showing that he can still shoot at a high level despite a slump this season. The Clippers will still feed their offense through Harden’s playmaking brilliance and rely on Powell as the primary perimeter scorer, but Russell is the perfect link between their abilities on offense.
He can pass as well as score, being virtually complementary in lineups with either star. Powell won’t struggle in the face of double-teams when Harden is off the court, and Harden won’t have to continue forcing poor shots up when Powell is off the court. With Kawhi’s impending return, having such a competent guard core will boost the Clippers’ chances of potentially making a run to the top four in the West.
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