Since July 2019, fans of the Los Angeles Clippers have had plenty of reasons to be optimistic about their team's chances of competing for an NBA championship. After all, staging the free agency coup of Kawhi Leonard by trading for Paul George meant that the Clippers, indeed, meant business as they added two of the best wings in the NBA to the core of a team that had won 48 games the year prior.

However, it is already year four of the Clippers' Leonard-George era, and all they have to show for it are a heartbreaking second-round exit in 2020 and a Conference Finals berth in 2021. With their two superstars getting up there in age, the urgency for the Clippers to deliver a championship becomes even stronger, which is why they should be more than willing to push their chips to the table before the NBA trade deadline passes.

Thus, it's no surprise that the Clippers were one of the most prominent suitors of polarizing Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, whom the Nets have since traded to the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers know that they must maximize the remaining elite years of the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George duo, especially with the former having returned to his pre-injury self in recent weeks.

But with the clock ticking as we approach the NBA trade deadline, the Clippers don't have the luxury of time. It's now or never for them to bolster their roster lest they find it lacking come playoff time. Here is the last-minute trade the Clippers must pull off with the deadline inching ever so closely.

Clippers trade for Fred VanVleet

Despite all the trade talk involving the Toronto Raptors, nary a single domino has fallen for them with only around 30 hours left until the trade deadline. The uncertainty regarding the Nets' situation, especially regarding Kevin Durant and Spencer Dinwiddie, two pieces that would draw immense interest should Brooklyn make them available for trade, has put the Raptors' plans on hold. And with the Raptors currently tied with the Indiana Pacers for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference and the final play-in spot, it remains far from a sure thing that Toronto would decide to become a selling team.

But the Raptors still have plenty of reasons to deal away Fred VanVleet. For starters, it's quite unclear whether VanVleet would decide to re-sign with the team he has called home since 2016 once he hits free agency in a few months' time. There are already teams that have put out feelers for the 28-year old point guard, with the Orlando Magic sending a team representative to keep an eye out for VanVleet's games.

Even then, some reports have stated that VanVleet remains very much willing to stay with the Raptors, even amid a change in his agency of representation. Thus, even amid the hullabaloo, the Raptors could decide to keep the All-Star guard in town, with VanVleet also reportedly showing willigness to stay in the North.

However, the Clippers should do their best to convince the Raptors to trade away Fred VanVleet, someone who could solve their issues at point guard. It's no secret that the Clippers offense, despite being a unit capable of spacing the floor and draining contested shots, isn't working as well as it could, particularly in crunch time. This was extremely apparent during their inexplicable collapse against the Milwaukee Bucks last Thursday, when their offense just sputtered and went cold amid a barrage of contested jumpshots from their two superstars.

There has been plenty of debate whether the Clippers, as presently constructed, need a point guard to function at their best. When Kawhi Leonard and Paul George handle the ball, more often than not, good things tend to happen on offense anyway. But this season, it's becoming clear that the two, especially George (despite his “PG” nickname), are not point guards, as improved as their playmaking abilities have been over the years.

The Clippers offense, when clicking, is a well-oiled machine capable of spacing opponents out to death. But they, as every team does, need variety as well. Fred VanVleet would give them a steadying presence, someone who can take on his guy off the dribble, get into the paint, and take advantage of the Clippers' plethora of shooters.

It's not like the Clippers were unwilling to pay a hefty price for an upgrade at point guard. They reportedly offered Terance Mann, Luke Kennard, one first-round pick, and two pick-swaps for Kyrie Irving, which the Nets rejected. It may take a similar package for the Raptors to even consider dealing away VanVleet.

However, the Clippers will be thinking long and hard about giving up Mann. After all, Mann has shown that he is capable of stepping up in the playoffs before, and he has flourished as their best point of attack defender.

But Fred VanVleet is no slouch on defense either. Don't let his diminutive 6'1 frame fool you – there's a reason why the Raptors gave him the task of defending Stephen Curry during the 2019 NBA Finals. FVV is an upgrade for the Clippers on so many levels that they could ill-afford to pass up the opportunity to trade for him.