Breaking Down the Los Angeles Clippers' Best Trade Bait
At some point prior to the Feb. 20 trade deadline, the Los Angeles Clippers will look to surround Blake Griffin and Chris Paul with more talent. What they have to offer should that time arrive deserves exploration.
The Clippers figure to be buyers this winter, meaning in effect that they could be willing to sacrifice long-term potential for short-term gain. In terms of assets, Los Angeles has some depth at a few key positions it could afford to shed in order to bolster some deficiencies.
The most glaring area of need is rebounding, where the Clippers rank 28th at the time of publication with an average of 39.5 per game. The prominent question is simple.
How can they grab an elite rebounder without losing any front-line talent?
Expiring contracts
In the modern NBA, expiring contracts matter. As teams prepare to shuffle payroll in order to create salary-cap flexibility, soon-to-be free agents become a hot commodity in the trade market. With that in mind, Glen Davis should be at the forefront of any trade discussion.
His 2014 cap hit of $6.6 million is the last of his current contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent come the summer. That means that Los Angeles could find itself moving Big Baby for an upgrade in the frontcourt.
Here's a breakdown of every expiring contract the Clippers hold (data via Spotrac):
| Player | Position | Age | 2014 Cap Hit |
| Hedo Turkoglu | PF | 35 | $915,243 |
| Glen Davis | PF | 28 | $6,600,000 |
| DeAndre Jordan | C | 28 | $11,440,123 |
| Chris Douglas-Roberts | SG | 27 | $915,243 |
| Ekpe Udoh | PF | 27 | $915,243 |
| Jared Cunningham | SG | 23 | $915,243 |
DeAndre Jordan is the Clippers' best rebounder. The center took home the NBA crown for best on the glass in 2013-14. He's not going anywhere as one of the team cornerstones.
Instead, Davis' inflated salary and expiring deal make him the glaring favorite to be on the move. The Clips may eye another big who can occupy space inside and net some extra possessions.
Ekpe Udoh currently has that role. As a 6'10" forward-center, the fourth-year veteran has struggled to find minutes in Doc Rivers' rotation. As such, he hasn't been productive on the glass, rebounding at a mark of 4.7 boards per 36 minutes in 11 games this season.
That's enough to warrant an upgrade, and perhaps his own expiring deal—coupled with Big Baby's—could help bring in reinforcements.
Can the backcourt logjam be a coup for Los Angeles?
Reggie Bullock has only seen action in 13 games in his sophomore campaign. That limited duty has less to do with his effectiveness as it does with the Clippers' depth at both guard positions.
Rivers is fond of the former North Carolina star and said as much shortly after the Clippers made him the 25th pick in the 2013 NBA draft.
"Having been a guy who's been to a lot of Duke vs. North Carolina games, I got a chance to see him up close," Rivers told Harold Gutmann of The (Durham, North Carolina) Herald-Sun. "He can play the small forward position, he can shoot it on the catch, and he can defend. Those are all of the things we have targeted, and that's what we got."
Bullock struggled to find his shot last season with a mark of just 35.5 percent from the field. From the three-point line, he shot a dismal 30.1 percent.
Already this season, he's improved in each metric, with 41.9 percent and 40.9 percent marks, respectively. His upward trend is clear, and the potential remains.
But he could still be expendable.
The Clippers are built to win now, and they have plenty of firepower ahead of Bullock. The team's top reserve is Jamal Crawford.
Last year's Sixth Man of the Year can score and run the offense in a pinch. He's the first reserve off the bench and logs significant minutes with an average of 26.7 through 23 games.
Though that's his fewest as a Clipper, he's a combo guard who's made it difficult for Bullock and rookie C.J. Wilcox to log much live action.
Bullock can help an NBA team, but the Clippers may do well to package him with Davis to upgrade the interior. What makes this move easier is that Wilcox has already shown he can do precisely what Bullock is supposed to—knock down long-range shots.
The rookie's sample size is small with just three games and 11 total minutes played. In that short stint, however, he's gone 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles is the second-best three-point shooting team in the NBA with a mark of 38.8 percent. It can afford to move some talent there in order to fill a need elsewhere.
Draft picks and beyond
When looking at the Clippers' assets in terms of draft picks as potential trade chips, things get interesting. That's in part because Los Angeles gave up its first-round selection in 2015 to the Boston Celtics when acquiring Rivers.
Had the Clippers kept the first-round pick, it would have been a major asset to dangle. As it stands, their only pick to move is a protected second-round selection that will only be conveyed if it falls between Nos. 51 through 55 in 2015, according to Pro Sports Transactions. While it's a small possession, it at least gives them another variable to toss into the mix.
But will it be enough to lure at talented big? At the very least, it could be the piece that puts them over the top in a deal involving one of the aforementioned players.
The Clippers have many options, and it will be worth following to see if Rivers and the front office staff is willing to make a bold move come the deadline.
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