NBA Trade Rumors: LA Clippers and More Teams Desperate for Perimeter Help

The Los Angeles Clippers will be looking for perimeter help for the playoff push this week and they wont' be the only team who is desperate for it.

Each and every NBA team needs to have a healthy balance of perimeter and post play to be successful in this league. That type of balance keeps defenses off balance and allows guys to get open shots by moving the basketball.

The Los Angeles Clippers need help with the perimeter part of that equation, especially after the season-long loss of Chauncey Billups to injury.

Billups had averaged 14.9 points and four assists per game starting alongside Chris Paul. The Clippers are starting Randy Foye now, who has played pretty well as he has averaged around nine points per game.

However, L.A. needs another perimeter scorer, as they have only Foye, Chris Paul and Mo Williams who can really light it up from the outside.

This is the reason the Clippers wanted to sign J.R. Smith, to shore up their backcourt following the loss of Billups. Now they must look in other directions.

There are some other teams in similar situations, needing perimeter help and fast.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers, neighborhood rival of the Clippers, also need perimeter help and need it badly. In fact, they need it even more desperately than their L.A. rival does.

Kobe Bryant is the only dependable perimeter scorer this team has right now. They have their twin towers in Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, but it is Kobe or bust on the outside. That won't win championships.

No other player than Bryant, Gasol or Bynum is averaging over 6.8 points per game. The Lakers at least need a three-point shooter to stretch and space the floor for Bryant and the big men inside.

Another part of the equation though is that Bryant must facilitate more and get those guys on the outside the ball and shots. He cannot become the ball-hog Kobe that he tends to be when he feels like he must do everything.

However, what the Lakers really need a point guard to facilitate so Bryant can focus doing what he does best—scoring.

Orlando Magic

If the Magic want to keep Dwight Howard, which appears to be something they are at least considering, they must get him help out on the perimeter.

The Magic need a player who can share the scoring burden with Howard. Unlike some of the other teams in this article, the Magic do not need a three-point shooter.

Surrounding Howard with three-point specialists who can't defend or score much any other way has been the philosophy for too long in Orlando and hasn't worked.

They need a Monta Ellis-type, which is exactly who they've inquired about recently. Other possible fits could be Eric Gordon, Paul Pierce or even Carmelo Anthony.

No matter what, if the Magic want to keep Howard, he needs help on the outside.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves were a team that needed help on the oustide even before the loss of Ricky Rubio for the rest of the season to a torn ACL. Now, this team is desperate.

Just a few spots away from being in the playoffs for the first time in too long, the Timberwolves must make a move for a scoring guard if they want to make that kind of jump this season.

One name that has been thrown out in regard to the Timberwolves is Jamal Crawford, who signed with the Portland Trail Blazers last offseason.

Thing have not worked out well with Portland and now Crawford appears to be on his way out. He would greatly help the Timberwolves as a scorer off the bench, or maybe even as a starter, that could help balance the team's offensive load with Kevin Love.

The Timberwolves need to make a move to shore up the offense on the perimeter. A trade piece in Michael Beasley gives them the potential to do just that.