The Los Angeles Clippers have delighted all their fans with the competitive season they’ve had. While many predicted the team would regress after losing Paul George over the summer, shrewd offseason additions and a team-wide distribution of his load have fostered similar success. However, they did have a 51-31 record last season and could finish with a 50-32 record at best this season.
The team did a great job of replacing George in the aggregate through multiple players. However, we’ve seen teams like the Clippers have a relatively low Playoff ceiling. They’ll need a star-like scorer to round out their impressive group of players, who all have their own roles. Outside Norman Powell, the Clippers can’t name many scorers in their midst.
To remedy this, a mock trade sending Michael Porter Jr. from the Denver Nuggets to the Clippers has been suggested.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Michael Porter Jr
Denver Nuggets Receive: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr., Drew Eubanks, 2031 Second-Round Pick (LAC)
While it seems like an intriguing idea to add Porter Jr.’s offensive talents to the Clippers while giving the Nuggets multiple players to fix their weak rotation, it would be a mistake on both ends. Let’s examine why neither team should move forward with this audacious summer trade.
The Clippers Hurt Their New Philosophy
It bears mentioning that the Clippers’ head coach, Tyronn Lue, has proven himself to be one of the best coaches in the NBA. Instead of struggling with injuries across the top end of his roster and having to scramble to put competitive teams together, Paul George’s departure gave him the depth to keep the team competitive.
Kawhi Leonard didn’t play a basketball game for four months and came back to a winning roster where he’s excelling as the No. 1 option again. He’s overseen tactical changes that have caused Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac to perform at an All-Star level while empowering James Harden to run the team as an extension of himself on the court.
The method to success for the Clippers isn’t going back to the old days by giving up depth for an injury-prone wing scorer. Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds this season. He’d be a great antidote for some of the Clippers’ offensive struggles with his free-scoring ability, but the acquisition cost of someone with his contract is simply too high.
The reason they’re succeeding this season is by embracing a gritty philosophy where everyone does what they can on offense while giving it their all defensively. Porter Jr. would be an awkward fit into their ball-moving schemes or their defensive structure, although he could be a fierce scorer alongside Harden.
Losing role-players like Derrick Jones Jr. or Bogdan Bogdanovic to facilitate Porter Jr. joining the franchise would be a bad move. It isn’t a detraction on the 26-year-old forward’s ability, but it just seems to be an incongruent fit with how the Clippers have found success over recent seasons.
The Nuggets Build A Complicated Roster
In theory, flipping one player for three would be great for a team like the Nuggets. They have a weak bench, and their success hinges on the hopes of their starters, particularly Nikola Jokic. This deal would help them be more competitive as a franchise with a deeper rotation while retaining all the positives Jokic brings to the floor.
Reuniting him with national teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic would boost his morale after recent outbursts on the Nuggets bench. Bogdan is a veteran who Jokic will respect and is averaging 10.8 points and 3.0 rebounds. However, he simply isn’t the scorer that Porter Jr. is, and the Nuggets need a high-volume scorer in that role. Otherwise, Bogdan’s streaky production could cause more harm than good.
Derrick Jones Jr. would be a phenomenal defensive addition. There’s no problem with working him into the roster due to him being able to plug many holes, but his weak offense could be an issue. He’s averaging 10.2 points and 3.5 rebounds this season, but he’s never been known to excel at scoring the ball. Again, replacing Porter without a high-volume scorer coming in is impossible.
The Nuggets would even accept Drew Eubanks, who’s averaging 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds this season, to be a backup center to Nikola Jokic. However, his addition is of little value as the Nuggets could find a comparable backup for a minimum in free agency. The value here for Denver isn’t obvious, especially with Porter being built into the team’s offensive philosophy.
It makes no sense for them to commit to moving Porter for this trade. Even if they do move him, they will target better packages than this, whether it’s for a single star addition or to bring in multiple for the price of one.
A Deal With Little Sense
This might feel tempting for fans on either side, but it could wind up hurting both. The Nuggets are in need of a major change more than the Clippers, but trading Porter Jr. with this return package is simply not necessary.
Similarly, the Clippers have found success with their current style of play, with the additions of the right players potentially catapulting them to contention.
Porter Jr. might be best suited for the Nuggets right now, at least until his contract nears its expiration at the end of next season. That pressure could cause a switch, but it won’t be to a package like this to safeguard Denver’s competitive future with Jokic.
